Die Hard, But After Lunch is Over
by Fear-The-Spork
Summary: A hardcore drug ring is operating inside an upscale hotel in Santa Barbara, and it's up to the Psych gang to sniff them out. With the help of a new friend, can Shawn save the day and get the girl? Shules all the way. *CHAPTER NINE IS UP*
1. Chapter 1

A Psych Fanfiction

**Chapter One**

It was a warm, sunny afternoon in May when all the trouble began for the crime busting Psych team.

Shawn Spencer and Burton 'Gus' Guster had just driven through the sticky Santa Barbara afternoon heat from the Police Station to their office. After having wrapped up a high profile case for the Department, they were now the proud owners of a big fat check and the praise from the entire Station. Even the long suffering Detective Lassiter had grumbled a word of thanks as they'd left, something that Shawn wasn't likely to let him forget.

They were on a high note, but their bubble exploded with an almighty bang when they arrived at their Office, only to find the front door already open and the lock very expertly picked. Now, it was a true fact they weren't the most safety conscious people to grace the face of the planet, but they knew to lock their front door before leaving.

Well, Gus did anyway.

The Office wasn't situated in a particularly bad area filled with looters and thieves, even though they spent their days solving crimes for the Santa Barbara Police Department. So looking at the busted door in front of them, they found themselves both confused and a little frightened, even though they would never admit it. Confusion was definitely the prominent emotion though. Who the hell would want to rob _them_ anyway?

It's not like they had any money, considering the check in Shawn's back pocket. They didn't have anything of value in the Office, aside from the Xbox next to the TV. Although to be fair, Gus did have all those Star Wars action figures that he had meticulously been collecting for the past nine years.

Now you may know the feeling. You always think or assume that if you were confronted with a criminal, you'd stand up for yourself and fight back. In actual fact, you'd probably wet your pants and scream like a girl. Shawn and Gus were somewhere in the middle stage of fear at the moment, verging on working up the courage to barge in bravely and confront whoever was wandering around their office.

"You go first Gus, you have an authoritative voice. They'll run away..." Shawn nudged Gus gently towards the door, but it only succeeded in making Gus slap at him.

"I will not go in there without some kind of weapon Shawn. You know what happens in the movies. The black guy always dies first and you know it, while the white guy escapes from danger via his own cowardly ways."

"Gus, don't be Gina Davis in Beetlejuice. Just go in-" Shawn tried to push him once more but Gus glared at him in a scary way. "Fine, we'll go in together. How does that sound?"

"Good, but if I'm Gina Davis, then you're Alec Baldwin." Shawn made a face at that.

"You know what? You be Alec Baldwin and I'll be Micheal Keeton..." he bartered and Gus put his 'consideration' face on.

"Deal."

Pushing the door open inch by inch, they saw nothing out of place but Shawn, the pseudo-psychic grabbed an umbrella from the stand next to the door while Gus snatched up the heavy writing pad on his desk.

They crept forward in a crouch as silently as they could, weapons raised in defense at the would-be killer in the next room.

From somewhere behind them a voice spoke, making them panic instantly and start to swing blindly around their heads, while the so-called burglar looked on in amused disbelief. The swinging and yelling went on for a few seconds before Shawn finally calmed down enough to realize that they weren't being butchered yet.

He stopped his swinging and paused to actually look at the burglar. "Gus, stop," he held up his hand, but Gus continued thrashing about and didn't seem to hear a word. "Gus..." Shawn ducked a wild swing of the writing pad. "Gus!" he whipped out his hand and slapped his friend's shoulder. Gus stopped momentarily to glare and rub the stinging spot where he'd been hit. Thankfully, he too spotted the intruder before he could begin his assault on the air again.

"Chloe?"

"In the flesh. Has anyone ever told you that when confronted with an attacker you're not supposed to do... well, _any _of what you just did?" Her amused voice broke them out of their stunned silence and Shawn laughed loudly, a sound of relief mixed with happiness.

"Thank God," he bent over, his hands on his knees and the umbrella dropping to the floor. Gus seemed equally relieved at their safety and let out a noise of laughter as he sat down.

"We thought we were going to die..." he finally spoke when Shawn's laughter had tapered off to happy wheezes.

"I thought you were going to die too. I mean, from a heart attack not from me doing anything remotely violent. So how come you didn't know it was me psychic boy?" Chloe threw herself down into the seat she'd been perched on when they'd arrived so spectacularly. Shawn sat next to Gus, heart still pumping with adrenaline and his hands shaking slightly.

"It figures that you would break into our place and ask _us_ the intrusive questions. We have some explaining to do about the psychic thing but in the meantime, what are doing here?" he waved her question off, asking one of his own. Chloe grinned, wide and happy like she'd never been away. "Uh-oh, I know that grin. Gus, tell me you know that grin."

"I know that grin... that grin almost got me fired," Gus narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but Chloe merely laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to cause trouble. I just wanted to catch up with my favourite high school buddies. I'm down for a few weeks and I thought we could hang out, if you're not too busy depleting the population of criminals in the area..."

Shawn and Gus looked at each other.

It was on.

xxxxxx

As they settled into their seats at the Five Wings Bar, Chloe passed a twenty to Gus who wandered off to buy them drinks. She finally turned to Shawn with a sly grin in place and he knew he wasn't going to get out of this easily. "Explain, Mr. Psychic Man... If that is indeed who you are..." she raised an eyebrow playfully. Shawn chuckled loudly.

"Alright, alright. You know me well enough by now to know that I'm not psychic. You know that thing I can do, the hyper aware, super memory thing?" he questioned and she frowned, trying to remember back to the last time they'd hung out.

"The creepy thing your dad trained you to do? The 'one-day-my-son-will-be-the-greatest-cop-ever thing?"

"The exact same. Well, I called the Station one day with a tip off on a robbery and, well you know how cops are. They dragged me in for questioning, thinking that my brilliant mind had thought up a robbery plan-"

Chloe snorted in disbelief. "You idiot. So you pretended to be psychic, hoping you wouldn't be arrested for knocking over a store?" Shawn grinned.

"You are on the ball tonight," he held up his fist for her to bump.

"Can't believe you're lying to the SBPD..." Chloe raised a disapproving eyebrow at her old friend. "You know it could get you arrested if your caught right?" Shawn's response was another snort of laughter.

"I don't think you should be warning us about the dangers of prison 'Mrs. Lets Jump Over the Twenty Garden Fences to Escape the Cops'," he laughed loudly over the jumpy blues music that had begun playing in the bar. Gus wandered over through the thinning crowds of a Monday night and set another three beers in front of them, dropping the change into Chloe's outstretched hand.

It wasn't the most swinging bar ever, but they'd managed to make it cozy enough and Chloe had wanted somewhere quiet that they could talk about old times, so they'd come to the only place they knew would be as dead as the guy they'd found outside Macy's four days ago. "That was a great night," Chloe remembered fondly back to their freshman days, filled with alcohol and fun. "We really did some crazy things, but lying to the cops Shawn? You really don't think you'll be caught?"

"Even if he is, Juliet would probably bail him out anyway," Gus teased making Shawn nudge him and frown.

"You're dating a cop too?"

"Oh, no. Jules and I aren't dating. We're kind of... well I don't know if friends is the right word... Gus? Define how Jules and I work."

"They skate around each other and avoid the subject, while the rest of us have to listen to the flirting," Gus finished in a firm tone of voice, telling Shawn that there was no room for arguments. Shawn shrugged in an agreeing way and Chloe laughed.

"Oh the abject humiliation."

"Hey, there's plenty of people out there who just flirt for the sake of flirting these days..." he grumbled but Gus was quick to end that argument.

"Yes Shawn, but they don't drive down to the Police Station at nine in the morning when a certain someone's shift starts, _just _to flirt for the sake of flirting. They also don't take them coffee with their favourite kind of muffin so they don't get hungry," he finished smugly.

"Oh, burn," Chloe raised her hand and Gus slapped it, grinning from ear to ear.

"That's what I'm talking about."

"You guys suck. And since when has the 'hand-slap' been cool again? Clearly no-one got the memo about the 'fist-bump'," Shawn went back to his beer, still grumbling as they laughed at him.

xxxxxxxx

As Shawn awoke the next morning, his head pounding and his eyes bleary from the night before, he immediately knew he wasn't at home. For one, Chloe and Gus were still passed out on the floor and couch respectively and two... why the hell was there a chicken clucking around the floor? After a few seconds he registered that he was in the Psych Office, buried under a mountain of microwave rice packets and four empty cans of Mr. Whippy spray cream. He gingerly shook his head and winced as his headache intensified slightly.

His stomach churned like a tumble drier, even as he lay still on the floor and he held back the sudden urge to hurl the contents of his stomach across the room.

The soft snores of his friends in the corner was a soothing sound but he pinched himself on the leg to stop himself from falling asleep again.

The chicken clucked in surprise as he groaned and sat up, breathing a sigh of relief when he realized that the Office hadn't been trashed. The sound of the Uncle Ben's Microwave Rice hitting the floor as he moved woke Chloe. She mumbled something unintelligible and what sounded like a swear word before she shuffled to her feet. Ushering the chicken out of the way nonchalantly, like it wasn't the strangest thing she'd ever woken up with, she dragged herself past Shawn to put the coffee pot on.

Somewhere deep in the back of his foggy head, Shawn registered a shrill ringing sound and it took him a while to realize that it was his phone making all the noise. Heaving himself from the floor groggily, he finally found it stuffed inside a freezer bag on his desk, along with four sugar mice and a bonbon.

He shook his head at the sight, but instantly regretted doing so when he winced.

"God, will you please answer that phone already? It's driving me nuts..." Chloe grumbled as she walked past, setting down a mug of strong coffee in front of him. The smell was like heaven and Shawn gulped down half of the burning liquid in one go. Chloe proceeded to nudge Gus awake with her foot quite roughly, his snoring loud enough to wake the dead and probably make her headache worse.

Rolling his eyes at them, Shawn clicked the answer button.

"Hello?" he said, his voice hoarse.

xxxxxxxxx

"... are you alright? You don't sound too good." Chief Vick's voice was laced with concern when Shawn finally picked up his phone and Juliet looked up from the chair she was sitting in. Shawn never usually took so long to answer his mobile and when he hadn't turned up like he usually did to bring her a coffee and a muffin, Juliet was slightly worried.

But she'd brushed it aside, assuming with a twinge of annoyance that he probably had better things to do with his morning than pander to her and bring her things, no matter how much he seemed to enjoy seeing her smile. The first morning he'd turned up out of the blue, she'd been confused at the two coffee cups and the muffins in his hands. He'd jumped up onto her desk, crossing his legs and holding out a cup to her wordlessly. He only grinned when she moaned appreciatively at the warm beverage. Ever since then, he was there without fail to cheer her up on the mornings where Lassiter was being particularly harsh, or when it was raining.

Any little excuse had been acceptable, until they'd fallen into a comfortable routine that was just normality to them now.

Karen's voice drew her from her thoughts.

"Well, I assure you Mr. Spencer, your hangover is the least of my worries- Yes, I am aware of what alcohol can do to your brain...-No, I'm not going to tell you how I know..."

Shawn was hungover? Well, of course Juliet had seen him drink before. Hell, she'd even drank _with_ him, but never before had she seen him anything other than slightly giddy. Although since Shawn was almost always giddy, it was hard to tell the difference.

But by the sounds of it, he and Gus must have had one hell of a night. She tuned herself back into the Chief's side of the conversation.

"Mr. Spencer, I don't care if she is your guest, she cannot come with you to a murder investigation... No... Well... Temporary member of Psych? Should I honestly believe that? How do I know she's not a floozy you picked up?"

Juliet's stomach dropped slightly. Shawn had a girl with him, who he'd woken up with by the sounds of it. Why did she have that jealous feeling lodged in the pit of her stomach? Shawn didn't belong to her... He wasn't her property, he could sleep with whoever he liked. Her stomach plummeted a little more.

"High School?"

The Chief let out a long agitated sigh, rubbing her temples to relieve the tension headache she could feel building in the back of her head. When Shawn began to argue again, she finally relented. "Fine, bring her, but I swear Mr. Spencer, if she compromises this investigation then I will personally make sure that you and Mr. Guster never work on a case again."

There was a brief pause as Shawn said something on the other end of the line.

Juliet swore she saw the Chief's mouth twitch in the hint of a smile. "I assure you, I don't _have _a feeling voice." With that, Chief Vick promptly put the phone down and groaned, her head falling into her hands. She eventually looked up at Juliet and spoke. "I wish our resident psychic wasn't so spontaneous. He's bringing an old school friend of his down to the Station. She arrived last night apparently-... Detective?"

Looking up, Juliet blushed under the Chief's gaze, realizing that she'd been staring miserably at the floor while she'd been talking.

"Yes?"

Karen narrowed her eyes slightly at the young woman. "Are you alright? You look a little upset."

Juliet was immediately defensive. "Me? Oh no... I'm not upset. Why would I be upset...I'm just excited about the case," she tried in vain to slap a happy grin on her clearly unhappy face.

The Chief cocked her head to side and gave her that knowing look that creeped Juliet out sometimes. That look meant she was going to say something perceptive, that was probably going to be dead right. Either that or she'd been up for half the night with a teething child again.

"If it helps Detective, she sounds like she's just an old friend who dropped in. I also heard Mr. Guster in the background." Karen's voice was soft as she reassured her Detective over what she'd heard. Karen Vick certainly wasn't blind, and the look on Juliet's face when she had mentioned a girl and been sour at best. At worst she'd seemed confused and a little bit betrayed.

Juliet's stomach rose a little higher to it's rightful place at the Chief's kind words. Karen wasn't finished however.

"I could have sworn I heard a chicken too."

Juliet shook her head and wandered out of the Office just as Lassiter was walking along the hallway, his arms laden down with endless paperwork. She groaned under her breath when he stopped directly in front of her desk, a pleading and out of place grin on his face.

She looked down at the ground and willed it to open, frowning when it stayed exactly where it was.

Just as it always did.

* * *

A/N: This is going to be my first multi-chapter Psych Fanfiction :3 I sincerely hope that you enjoy it. You can probably expect pretty regular updates for a while as I've got most of the chapters written already. It Shules of course, my favourite ship and there will be smut. (I know, I'm terrible, but there just isn't enough smut out there for the pairing.)

My OC Chloe appears in almost everything I write, so please give me your honest opinion on her for future reference. She's a lot of fun to write so I hope you like her.

Reviews make my day so go for it ^^


	2. Chapter 2

As Chloe and Gus argued loudly over the last of the pain medication in the cabinet, Shawn was looking frantically for Gus's car keys. Having finally gotten themselves washed and changed, none of them could muster up the energy to feel even a little bit better. Chloe was currently swearing that she would never drink again while her stomach swirled with the remains of the alcohol from the night before. Only Gus remembered what time they'd actually passed out at, and Shawn winced when he told them it had been four in the morning. The dark circles under their eyes really did give them away, along with the days worth of stubble over Shawn's chin of course.

"Gus, just give it up-" Chloe groaned, yanking the box out of his hands once again.

"I can't see straight. I deserve these..." Gus made another pathetic grab for the pill that Chloe had wrestled from him. Without even a glass of water to help, Chloe threw it into her mouth a swallowed with a grimace. "Damn..."

"That was foul," she made a face and shuddered, letting her head fall into her hands again.

"Well, it serves you right," Gus glowered at her, his headache suddenly worse now that all the pain meds had been inhaled by his friends.

"Shut up..." Chloe's voice was muffled by her hands, but the message was clear. Talk and die. Gus did as she asked and shut his mouth while Shawn shuffled through the doorway.

"Found your keys Gus. They were in a hollowed out pineapple shell..." he held them up, twirling them around his finger. Shawn's voice held all of the activity's from the night before, scratchy and hoarse from the shouting, singing and drinking that his body wasn't used to. "Let's go. I told the Chief we would bring you-" he prodded Chloe in the side to make sure she hadn't nodded off. When she groaned, Shawn rolled his eyes and prodded again. "C'mon, you can meet Lassie Face and Juliet. I know you're dieing to embarrass me in front of her."

"Tempting-" she raised her head. "Can we make a grand entrance?"

"Superhero poses?"

"You've convinced me," she stood up and arched her back, a satisfying crack meeting her for her efforts. Snatching up her jacket she pulled Gus to his feet, making him let out a groan of pain. "Man up Gus. I have a chance to make Shawn blush, which only comes once in a blue moon. Move your ass."

After they'd cleared up most of the empty rice packets, they emerged into the brilliant sunshine of Santa Barbara and, shielding their eyes against the assault, they piled into Gus's car. With strict warnings from Gus not to vomit on his upholstery, they set off for the Station.

xxxxxxx

Juliet cursed Lassiter for the fourth time that morning, looking at the reports piled in the 'IN' tray of her desk. She really didn't need this at the moment. Her head was whirling with information that she really didn't need to know and there was much more important information she needed to focus on. Her relationship with Shawn for example, was front and center in her mind. Every time it seemed that they took a step forward, they were pushed five steps backwards; in her case kicking and screaming. She wasn't sure about Shawn's view on their complicated tangled relationship, but she knew that he liked her.

She had come to the conclusion a while ago that she liked him too.

It was just the problem of doing something about it. It's not like she could just grab him and pull him into a supply closet... Could she? No! No, bad Juliet, she scolded herself. She was a police officer, she had dignity and poise. She should _not _want to make out with their resident psychic in a supply closet.

But she did.

Jabbing at the file in front of her with a pen, she had to keep herself from finding Lassiter and telling him where to shove these reports. A little clue, it wasn't in his desk drawer.

Then again, why should she hold back? She liked Shawn, she liked him a lot.

His odd ability to make her laugh in any situation, no matter how serious. How he seemed to know every little tiny detail about her without her even telling him, even down to the shampoo she used when she was out of her favourite. Something he'd let her know he knew about by turning up with her favourite Strawberry Bomb Shampoo one day and saying that he knew she was out of it because she was using Head and Shoulders today.

She really shouldn't be feeling jealous over an old school friend who had dropped in to see him. It was his life after all. He could see and talk to whoever he liked, no matter how much of a total slut she might be... Juliet scolded herself mentally. She hadn't even met this girl. She would probably be very nice and courteous, with beautiful bouncy hair and a brilliant sense of humor. Just Shawn's type.

The pen slipped under her hand, slashing a gash into the paper she'd been writing.

This time she did curse; loudly. Several people looked up around her, but at her violent glare, they quickly directed their gaze.

She wasn't sure what the noise was when she first heard it, but when she looked up again from her desk, it seemed to get louder and closer. Recognizing the song that was pumping in the distance, she smiled. That would be Shawn now. Sure enough, after the music had played for a while, he wheeled around the corner in the strangest of poses.

Well, it would have been strange had she not known him well enough by now. Most people didn't even look up from their work at his usual antics. Juliet couldn't help the grin on her face at his grand entrance.

Enrique Iglesias's new song _'I Like It' _blasted heavily and loudly from Shawn's iPod speakers, as the newly formed trio rolled somewhat gracefully around a corner and straight towards her desk.

Juliet knew that Lassiter was going to _kill_ them.

Shawn and Gus had requisitioned his computer chair, probably in the name of fun and were now perfectly balanced on the sides, striking the usual superhero poses.

Having stared at them for a while, Juliet finally let her gaze fall to the new brunette in the middle of them, her hands on her hips and her face in a frown of mock concentration. Juliet's earlier inner perception had been right, she silently cursed noting her shiny hair and slim figure. The fact that she had gone along with Shawn's plan told her instantly that she had a sense of humor just like his. Juliet's stomach dropped slightly. She finally went back to staring at the spectacle they had created, putting her hand to her mouth to smother the grin she didn't want to show. It reminded her momentarily of Joey and Chandler in Friends, wheeling themselves into Monica's apartment on the giant white dog statue.

The chair rolled to a wonderfully graceful stop right in front of her, three matching idiotic grins and pairs of eyes looking at her expectantly. Pausing for a minute, she looked Shawn directly in the eye before answering the silent question.

"You guys are such dorks," she snorted and a smile spread over his clearly tired face.

"But... '_Baby You Like It!'_" he sang along with the music, still not removing himself from the arm of the now teetering chair. She blushed momentarily at the double meaning in his words, before shaking her head at them; and herself.

"Carlton will destroy you when he finds out you pioneered his favourite chair to make an entrance on," she reminded him. Shawn just shrugged lazily, winking at her. She rolled her eyes playfully before turning somewhat reluctantly to their guest, who had been watching their exchange with interest.

"Hey, I'm Chloe," the brunette held her hand out and from of sheer force of habit and manners drummed into her by her parents, Juliet reached out and took it.

"Hi, I'm Juliet O'Hara, nice to meet you." Her voice sounded strained, even to her own ears.

"Oh, you're Juliet. Shawn hasn't shut up about you since I got here-" Before she could finish her sentence, Shawn used his elbow to jab her ticklish side roughly. Chloe jumped violently, the wheels of the chair rolling backwards and forwards under them precariously. The straining chair creaked loudly and finally gave way under them, sending three bodies to the floor with various dull thuds as they landed in a heap. Juliet brought her hand to her mouth in silent laughter.

There was a drawn out silence for a moment before Gus finally groaned loudly from under Shawn's leg, a word slipping from his lips that Juliet could have sworn was a swear. Her laughter intensified at their obvious discomfort on the floor. Chloe was trying in vain to remove Gus's foot from her face while Shawn shoved them both off of him. The struggling was still happening while Lassiter emerged from the Chief's office.

No-one noticed when he stepped over the struggling pile of people without so much as a glance and stopped at Juliet's desk. "How's the paperwork coming?"

"Get your size eights out of my face Gus," Chloe pushed a little more and with some effort, untangled herself from the pile of limbs. She stood quickly, brushing herself off and pulling her friends up with her to face Lassiter, a look of genuine interest on her face. "Hey cutie, what do we call you?"

Lassiter looked up from the file he'd been examining, and Juliet fully expected him to give another one of his famous insults slash threats to arrest. But he shocked everyone when a pink tinge graced his cheeks while he looked at her. "Uh, I'm _Head _Detective Carlton Lassiter. You are?" he held out his hand and she took it, a grin on her face.

"Call me Chloe, please. I came here with Shawn and Gus," she jerked her head towards the confused men who were currently looking at her in surprise. Or disgust, she couldn't quite tell.

"With Spencer?" Lassiter took a second to shoot him a glare that could have killed. Shawn glanced at Juliet, but she just shrugged her shoulders in confusion.

"Yeah, we used to go to school together. I arrived yesterday..." Realizing that he was still holding her hand, Lassiter dropped it with an embarrassed cough, before straightening up and, Shawn could have sworn he saw him puff out his chest slightly.

"Well, I'm currently working on a _very important _case for the Chief-" he grinned when he saw her eyes light up.

Juliet interrupted in a timely manner. "I thought you were working on that case with the missing garden gno-"

"Yes, O'Hara," he ground out, while Chloe looked down with a smile. Lassiter's face turned red and he scowled heavily at his partner. "Chief wants to see you, now that Spencer is here..." he almost snarled, before stomping off, just pausing long enough to yell at some poor officer who'd spilt his coffee.

"Jules, that was so cruel," Shawn raised an eyebrow at her, while she blushed. "You've really learnt well from me..." he laughed, giving her an encouraging wink and linking his arm with hers as she walked to the Chief's Office. Chloe nudged Gus, who was still standing with his mouth open.

"You're catching flies Gus. He's really got it bad for her hasn't he?" she nodded at Shawn's back as he said something else to make the young detective laugh loudly.

"You have no idea... What was that anyway? Flirting with Lassiter?" he raised an eyebrow, skepticism written on his face.

"What? I thought he was cute," she looked up for him, spotting him with his head buried in paperwork. With a small smile, she pulled Gus after Shawn.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Now Mr. Spencer, I'm going to trust that you will have the utmost care in a case like this. We need you to be reserved and careful when you're-" Shawn cut the Chief off mid-sentence.

"Please Chief, I've been undercover before. I'm good at it..." he grinned smugly, mainly for his own benefit, but he made sure to send a wink Juliet's way, if only to see her blush again. She looked away quickly, and the Chief continued, casting a look at Chloe who was standing in the corner with Gus.

"We can't have anyone compromise this. This man has been wanted for years by the SPBD, and now we have a chance. We have a chance to put him behind bars. To do this, we need you Mr. Spencer." She looked at him warningly. "But so help me, if you screw this up I will personally make you sorry to be a part of this Station." Shawn looked surprised at her words, the seriousness of the case finally beginning to sink in. The Chief never made threats unless it was serious. He calmed himself down from the high of going undercover with Juliet.

"Of course Chief. What's it all about anyway?"

"Well the details are very clear Mr. Spencer. Yourself and Detective O'Hara," she sent a nod at Juliet. "Will be going undercover in the Barrington Hotel, to investigate Julio Kimeen." She handed Shawn a blurry photo of the man they would be watching. "He's a known drug dealer. We know that he's been dealing drugs before, but we can't get enough proof to nail him. Last week we found one of his men, David Freeman, dead in his apartment and we think he might have had something to do with it. We know that something is happening in that hotel, but we can't get close enough to check it out without scaring him off. That's where you and Detective O'Hara come in."

"Will it be dangerous?" Chloe piped up from her position in the corner. All eyes turned to her.

"Probably..." Shawn shrugged, looking at the Chief for conformation. She nodded solemnly and Chloe looked worried. She may have gotten her friends into some insane situations before, but nothing overly dangerous. This was making her edgy. She didn't like them going into a situation with a mad man and a whole lot of crazy on the side. Even though the Chief had said nothing about Gus going, Chloe knew that Shawn would work him in somehow, no matter what.

"We'll make sure you're as safe as possible, but we can't guarantee that we'll always be around the corner to help. But Detective Lassiter will always be on the end of the line." She nodded at the man who had just slipped into the room. Chloe winked at him, making his ears go red which she found adorable.

She really couldn't figure out why Shawn and Gus were so set against Carlton. He looked away from her quickly and at the Chief. "We uh, have everything set up. Mr. and-" he paused, the information clearly painful no matter how fabricated. "Mrs. Spencer are checked in for three o'clock this afternoon." Shawn's head snapped up at Juliet.

"We're going as a married couple? Jules, I didn't know you cared..." he shot her a wink, making her blush for what seemed like the nineteenth time that day.

Chloe looked thoughtful for a second, uncaring about the strange looks that people were now sending her. "Well, why don't Gus and I do the same? You know, check in and go undercover?"

"What?" Lassiter and Gus snapped at the same time. Gus's eyes widened, fear flashing through them, knowing that Chloe always got her way.

"It would be very dangerous," Lassiter spoke loudly, trying to get the severity of the situation across to her. The brunette raised an eyebrow at him and he coughed, looking down.

The Chief however looked unmoving. "I don't think that it would be a very good idea. We don't want you to draw attention to yourselves. Not to mention that Station can't cover you if you're injured on the job. We can't take that kind of risk..." she shook her head. Gus looked relieved, but Chloe frowned in concentration.

"What about safety in numbers? That whole shebang? Look, I know you're wary about sending someone you don't know in, but I'm part of Psych while I'm here. Shawn and Gus are partners, so Gus is covered to go right?" He hit her on the arm as she said this, making her glare at him. "Well you are Gus."

"You're never riding in my car again for this. You can walk home," he grumbled under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear.

The Chief nodded somewhat reluctantly at her arguement, clearly seeing the direction she was going with this.

"Well then, I can technically go with Gus and Shawn as their partner."

Karen couldn't help but look impressed at her negotiating skills. Shawn spoke up on his guests behalf. "Oh come on Chief. She'd technically a part of the team while she's here." Juliet and Lassiter scowled at that, but for different reasons. "So she should be able to come along. Have a heart..." he looked at her pleadingly, and Karen looked around the room at the expressions on the faces of her employees, however temporary they may be. She sighed heavily.

"Fine," she relented. "But I swear to God, if you compromise this," she pointed at Chloe. "I will toss you in jail, is that clear?" Chloe nodded with a smirk.

"Like crystal."

"Good. Now go home all of you and pack. I want you back here within an hour." When no-one moved, she clapped her hands sharply, making them jump. "Now!" That made them move and they scrambled out of the door, different levels of anticipation on their faces. Karen sat back in her chair when they had finally gone.

Sometimes, being in charge had it's definite perks.

* * *

A/N: Personally, I thought that Lassiter needed some love ;3 Don't get me wrong, I love Lassie but Shassie creeps me out too much. Plus it's everywhere on the internet, detracting from any Shules smut that there may be. Seriously, we don't need any more Shassie fics ¬_¬

Anyway, I hope you're liking where I'm going with this. I know the undercover/married couple thing has been done to death, but hey, I wanted to try one of my own.

Reviews are appreciated and stored in a little glass jar in my heart :)


	3. Chapter 3

Having packed everything bar the kitchen sink, Shawn dragged his suitcase to Lassiter's waiting car, listening as the man grumbled under his breath. His unwanted role of the cab driver was still making him grouchy, even after Shawn had told him that his outfit was indeed fetching. Gus was busy talking animatedly to his boss while he waited, something they could make out as a 'family emergency' had come up and he was going to need at least two weeks off of work. He still shot Chloe and Shawn the odd dirty look, but the amount of times he did it were dwindling now. Shawn could tell he was just a little bit excited about going under cover. Juliet sat patiently in the back of the old rickety taxi, something the Chief had arranged last minute for them.

When he finally snapped his phone shut, he looked livid when Shawn asked him how it went. "How it went? How it went Shawn? I've just used the excuse I was saving for any future emergency's. I had to tell him that my Uncle Burton had been hit by a car and now needs round the clock care. I was saving that for the Spelling Bee this year. It's got a new presenter and everything..."

Shawn stared at him in disgust for a minute, before shaking his head.

"Did you ever wonder why girls dig me more?"

Gus narrowed his eyes, nudging his best friend out of the way to stalk to his car. Chloe rolled her eyes and followed, pulling her already packed case behind her.

Lassiter had insisted that they arrive in separate cars so as not to arouse suspicion, something that Shawn scoffed at loudly. As soon as he brought up Lassiter's mustache guy, he'd promptly locked himself in the car and refused to open the door until Shawn apologized. Granted, the apology was as fake as the Easter Bunny, but it did get Lassiter to stop huffing.

The Chief had loaned Juliet a ring to pass as an engagement ring, while she had rooted something out of her jewelery box that would serve as wedding bands for her fake husband and herself. She had to admit that the thought of being Shawn's wife appealed to her. She'd incorrectly assumed that marriage to Shawn would be like having a man sized child to run after, but ever since their fake wedding had been announced at the Office, he'd done nothing but make her feel like a princess all day. He'd even carried her bags from her apartment to Lassiter's cab for her, managing to open the door at the same time.

He slid in next to her, an arm slung over the back of her seat while Lassiter glared at him through the mirror. Shawn just grinned, his hand falling to her shoulder in a silent challenge. Juliet rolled her eyes at the immature display of testosterone, but thankfully her partner didn't take the bait, just starting the ancient metal box and shooting dirty looks through the rear view mirror every so often.

It was a fifteen minute drive to the hotel, situated on the nicest stretch of beach in Santa Barbara. Shawn personally couldn't wait to try the heated pool. Preferably with Juliet. At night. With very little on. A smile slid over his face when Juliet shot him a confused look. She was seemingly comfortable with the fact that Shawn's fingers were brushing lightly over her shoulder every time they came to a red light and Lassiter slammed his foot on the breaks.

They thankfully arrived in one piece, although Juliet didn't hold out much hope for the cab when Lassiter was through driving it home.

Gus's Echo had been behind them all the way, pulling up to the curb at the same time as they did outside of the grand building that was the Barrington Hotel.

Juliet couldn't deny that this was the most upscale undercover mission she'd ever been on in her life.

As they exited the car, no-one spoke except for Shawn and Lassiter, pretending to talk about the fare for the cab. Gus and Chloe didn't look their way just as they'd been instructed to, merely following the weary bell boy who was pulling their luggage towards the heavy glass doors. Another younger man appeared beside Juliet, dressed in a smart red uniform. He didn't speak as he picked up her case in one hand and Shawn's in another. He did however, look her up and down with a sly grin. Resisting the urge to punch him in the face was difficult, but when she felt Shawn's arm snake around her waist, she smugly watched as the boy's face fell once more and he directed his gaze to the luggage.

"Even when I've married you you're still attracting men... or boys," Shawn raised an eyebrow at the man handling their bags, his breath warm on her ear.

Juliet elbowed him playfully, before walking towards the doors without so much as a backwards glance at the clearly fuming Lassiter.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Check-in had gone off without a hitch, as had finding their third floor room. But standing in the doorway, Juliet could see one major flaw that Shawn was clearly overlooking.

Well actually, to be fair, he wasn't overlooking it so much as he was bouncing on it.

"C'mon Jules!" his voice was full of laughter as he jumped on top of the king size bed that was the center piece of an otherwise lovely room. With balcony doors that looked out onto the ocean and a TV with over six hundred stations on it, Juliet hadn't been about to complain until she realized that she was to be sharing a bed with her not-so-legitimate husband. Who was currently seeing if he could hit the ceiling fan with his finger tips. Juliet rolled her eyes, batting at him in annoyance and scolding him. Shawn stopped bouncing, sitting on the edge and grinning like a fool. "Well, shall we test it out then, loving wife?" he raised an eyebrow suggestively, smirking until a cushion from a nearby chair connected with his face.

From beneath the smooth velvet, Juliet could hear his muffled voice. "I'll take that as a 'no' then?"

She should have known that this would be the case. What married couple ordered a room with two single beds? Granted, she did know some married couples who would do it out of spite...

She couldn't help but smirk, walking past a disgruntled Shawn, to slide the balcony doors open and step out into the warm afternoon sun. "You know, this might not be so bad if you can keep your hands to yourself..." she stated loudly as he got up from the bed and stretched, joining her on the balcony. It was nicely furnished too, with a low glass coffee table and four black wicker chairs.

Shawn's face fell slightly, a pout forming on his lips.

"Oh please Jules. You know you can't keep your hands off of me," he chuckled when she smacked his bare arm; the lack of stinging told him she hadn't really putting any effort into it.

"Trouble in paradise already?"

Their heads shot up to look for the source of Chloe's voice, Juliet turning around the see if she was in their room. "Chloe?" Shawn voiced their silent question when they couldn't see her.

"Up here you idiot," she rolled her eyes at him, even though he couldn't see her just yet. "The balcony above yours. Apparently the Chief swung it for us. Gives us the opportunity to talk without being watched." Shawn and Juliet leaned out over their balcony, gripping the metal bar as they twisted around to look up. Chloe's grinning face met them as she leaned over her own. "Hello."

"This is brilliant. Ask Gus if he wants to make cup phones!" Shawn grinned up and Juliet rolled her eyes, pulling her head back in and throwing her arms up in defeat. Men could be so immature. She made her way back inside to check out the rest of the room. She'd been distracted by the bed, which was still taunting her in a way, but she walked over to the bathroom instead of dwelling on it. She was pleased to see both a shower and a bathtub, making a note to take a long bubble bath at some point during the stakeout.

Ever since she'd had a shower installed at home to save time in the mornings, she'd longed for a hot relaxing bath complete with candles and oils.

She carried on with her mental inventory. The towels were freshly laundered like the sheets, white and fluffy as they hung over the railings. There was a little cabinet over the sink to store their things in as well. Juliet decided that she liked it. She would love to have a bathroom like this at home. In fact, she liked the whole room. Even the unnecessarily large bed, which she knew had probably been used by many couples before them, and would be after them.

She stopped herself. It's not like they would be using it for _that..._ Although if Shawn had his way they would have to forget the stakeout and remain in the bed for the duration of their stay.

It was hard to stop the smile that spread over her face, however unprofessional it was. Her new husband was inside now, the balcony doors shut as he sprawled across the bed lazily. He looked up when she emerged from the bathroom. "Gus says when he finds any suitable cups he'll let us know," his smile was infectious and Juliet found herself smiling too.

"Alright Shawn. So what do you want to do now? We need to check out the hotel first and foremost..."

Shawn looked thoughtful. "Well Gus and Chloe said that they were going to check out the kitchens and the lobby. So how about we look around the rest of the floors, then check out the bar and restaurant. If we happen to be hungry while we're down there..." he trailed off innocently as Juliet raised an eyebrow.

"Are you asking me to dinner?"

"It depends. Are you accepting my invitation to dinner?"

"Touche' Shawn... I guess I am." Shawn's face lit up in a smile as he bounded off of the bed. "Can I get changed first?" she asked and he nodded, the smile still in place. She unzipped her case while he watched her and she picked up an outfit that she'd packed last minute for an occasion such as this. Waltzing into the bathroom, she felt his eyes on her the entire time.

xxxxxxxxx

Having skulked around the first and second floor for a while, Juliet had deduced that they would find nothing useful in their search if there weren't any staff to observe. Shaking her head as they circled through another corridor, she let out a loud sigh of frustration. "Shawn, we're not going to find anything..."

"Oh, I know. I'm just admiring the decor..." he gestured to the wall they were now leaning against. Grabbing his wrist in a vice grip, Juliet yanked him towards the elevator.

"Let's get something to eat," she sighed, realizing that they would achieve nothing by standing there for much longer. So far all they had done was receive funny looks from an uptight business man, a Spanish couple on vacation and a maid who was cleaning out an empty room. After that, Juliet had insisted that Shawn stop asking people random probing questions whenever they passed by.

They walked arm in arm into the quaint little restaurant that catered to the guests, Shawn seemingly disappointed when he could find neither Gus or Chloe in the bustling room. He let Juliet pick the table, one situated by the wide picture window which looked out over the beach; it was deserted considering the time. Shawn pulled her seat out for her, earning him an inquisitive look from Juliet. "What? I can't pull the chair out for my wife?" She shook her head and sat down, ignoring his comment and picking up her menu.

Shawn plopped down ungracefully in the seat opposite, moving the glowing candle from the center of the table so he could see her fully. He hissed loudly when he burnt his finger, making Juliet laugh at him. He looked disgruntled at being the object of her amusement, but it didn't discourage him. Grabbing the other menu, he stuck his tongue out in a childish way before scanning down the list of food.

It was several minutes before a petite waitress appeared at the table, looking rushed. Shawn noted a burn on her sleeve, which probably went under and onto her skin. Her hair, which had probably been pulled back into a bun at the beginning of the day, had strands sticking out here and there. The bags under her eyes made Shawn wonder if it was a hotel or a slave ring they'd come to investigate. Her voice was laced with forced brightness as she asked what they wanted to drink.

Juliet glanced at the tables around them, the upper class couples drinking expensive red wine and port. She glanced at Shawn, who raised an eyebrow. She didn't like red wine... To be honest she didn't like wine at all. But she wanted to fit in, complete the visage they'd created of being upscale people who could afford such things.

The woman was looking at her expectantly.

Shawn saved her. "Jules, you want a beer?" She could have kissed him.

"Yeah, thanks Shawn."

"Two beers please..." The woman scribbled on her notepad.

"Someone will be along to take your orders in a few minutes," she turned away and shuffled away, a slump coming over her shoulders as soon as she thought she was out of sight. The loudness of Shawn's voice when he had ordered the beer had caused a snooty looking couple at the next table, to raise their eyebrows in Juliet's direction. She noticed and began to blush, not liking that she couldn't stand up for herself without causing a scene and revealing them to be more than a married couple in love. It was frustrating. Shawn noticed her discomfort.

"Are you alright Jules?" he set his menu down.

"I don't like being judged by people I don't know. Just because I'd prefer to drink beer over wine..." she cast a glance at the other couple, who were still watching them with a posh air about them. "It's like we're below them or something. I wish I could kick their asses..." she grumbled under her breath, but Shawn caught it.

He turned and watched the other pair, conversing lowly, clearly not enjoying themselves; it seemed they could only amuse themselves by making Juliet uncomfortable. Shawn frowned. As a short waiter hurried over to their table, the man having waved his hand to get attention, Shawn gave a smirk.

As the waiter began to speak, a distinct French accent drawled out. The woman looked disgruntled. Before he could even finish his sentence, the man held up his hand to stop him speaking. "Wait a moment." The waiter looked pissed, Juliet decided, her attention now with the scene along with Shawn. They watched as Mr. Snooty pulled a French phrase book from his pocket and held it in front of him. "Ehem- Je veux embrasser ta grand-mère!" he finished with a flourish. Shawn choked on the beer that had just arrived in front of him.

Juliet tossed him a confused look when a sly grin came across his face. "What?"

"He just told him he wanted to kiss his grandmother..."

"How do you-?" Shawn just shook his head and pointed back at the amusing scene unfolding before them. The waiter was confused.

"Sir?" he asked, looking at the woman as though she might justify or explain why her husband had said that. Shawn saw the 'better-than-you' look that she tossed at Juliet and he almost growled. The man tried again to communicate, even though it was clear the waiter spoke English, he wanted to impress his wife and make everyone else seem stupid in comparison. He glanced at the book in front of him again, scanning down the page.

"Ce vin est comme un cheval!"

Shawn began to laugh. Not only was the mans pronunciation terrible, but he'd just told the waiter that the wine was like a horse. His laughter earned him looks from the other patrons around them and from Juliet, whose face still portrayed her confusion at him. Mr. Snooty turned to them. "Is there something funny?" Shawn grinned.

"Nothing, but you did just tell him that your wine tasted like a horse... But hey, it's not my business," he threw his hands in the air and turned back to his beer, while Juliet's confusion turned into an impressed look. Mrs. Snooty cut in.

"I suppose you could do better?" she challenged, clearly wanting to save face for her husband, who was unnaturally quiet. The people around them, although they should have, were now looking at Shawn almost expectantly. Juliet winced, hoping he wasn't going to make a fool out of himself as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Ces gens veulent toujours un spectacle n'est-ce pas? Ce gars-" Shawn gestured to Mr. Snooty, as Juliet's head shot up at the husky French that was spilling from his mouth. "Est un âne chevaux." The waiter stared at him for a brief second, before beginning to laugh, loud and clear. Shawn grinned before turning back to Juliet. She stared at him wide eyed, her jaw practically brushing the table top. He did nothing but grin back as everyone else went back to their food, satisfied that Mr. and Mrs Snooty had been put in their place.

The waiter walked around and stopped at their tables. "May I take your order?"

Juliet saw his eyes still dancing with laughter. She couldn't help herself. "Okay, what did my husband say to you?"

Shawn and the waiter exchanged a glance and a grin. "He said, madame-" his voice lowered to a whisper. "That, this guy, is a horses ass..." Juliet snorted in laughter. They gave their orders and the waiter left, still chuckling to himself. Juliet confronted Shawn.

"When did you-?"

"Learn French? I know a lot of things Jules. I'm good with languages apparently..." this was the only explanation he gave. Juliet didn't push it. She also ignored the warmth spreading through her belly at the memory of his husky accent.

* * *

A/N: I apologize profusely for Shawn speaking French. I just really wanted him to XD I think it would be immensely hot if he did, so in my world Shawn is versed in the French language. Don't judge me too harshly, it's not the worst thing I've ever done.

I wish my beta reader was back from her holiday :( Even if I read the chapter five or six times over, mistakes still appear when I post it. I also apologize for the appalling amount of winks in the last chapter XD Like I said, my Beta would have caught that, but my untrained eye didn't. To make up for it, there were no winks in this chapter at all... At least I hope there weren't...

I think for my first multi-chapter Psych fanfiction, that it's turning out quite well so far, but please forgive any mistakes. Looking back at my writing from years ago made me realize how appalling it used to be, so I've changed my style in this and I'm just getting used to it.

Shules smut is drawing ever closer, but we're not quite there yet. We need a little more plot and character building before they can get it on. (Although to be fair that's never stopped me before.)

Reviews are love, as are cookies. I like both :)


	4. Chapter 4

After they had finished their very filling meal, Juliet reclined back into her chair lazily as Shawn regaled her with another amusing tale from his childhood with Gus. To be fair, they had done absolutely no police work up to now, but Juliet was about to change that. She grabbed Shawn's hand across the table and leaned forward. Shawn looked surprised and a little bit disappointed when she only leaned in to whisper into his ear.

"Look at the head waiter..."

He did, turning his head slightly to observe to man from the corner of his eye. He wasn't running about like the other staff, his clothes unscathed unlike everyone else who was carrying food and who were in and out of the kitchen. Shawn's eyes went to the mans hands, scanning and cataloging all of his gaudy rings and other jewelery. He also noted something strange about his interactions with the other staff. The female employees avoided going near him whenever possible. Shawn had noticed that when they'd arrived, but had said nothing assuming he was just a ladies man.

But looking at him now, he seemed so much more sinister. His hand went to his head and Juliet rolled her eyes, a long suffering look coming over her face. "Shawn, you can't do that here..." she almost pleaded, but Shawn hadn't moved. She looked at him in confusion. He seemed frozen with fear. "Shawn?"

"Jules, I want you to stay away from him..." he said suddenly, and she turned her gaze to the waiter.

"We have to investigate everyone Shawn," she gave him a warning look. Shawn wasn't easily swayed.

"If you go near him, I'm coming with you," his voice was firm and for once Juliet didn't argue with him. She just cast another glance at the man in his thirties, who was built very similarly to a bouncer in a night club. She allowed one involuntary shiver to run up her spine before springing back into professional mode.

"Why, what did you see?"

"Women, the female staff are afraid of him. Very afraid of him. They won't go near him..." Juliet looked back, observing; sure enough, the only people who approached him were the male waiters. She frowned.

"Why?"

"I don't want to find out Jules," he looked at her seriously, and she couldn't help but reach across and squeeze his arm reassuringly in silent agreement.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shawn bounced on the edge of the bed as Juliet holed herself up in the bathroom, doing her usual moisturizing ritual before she went to sleep. Just because she was a cop didn't mean she couldn't have nice smooth skin. She rinsed her hands and rubbed them on the nearest towel, before twisting her hair into a ponytail and securing it. She stared at her reflection long and hard in the mirror. "Self-restraint O'Hara. It's just sharing a bed. No funny stuff..." she met her own eye. A noise of frustration left her throat as she looked away and went for the door.

She was surprised to see that Shawn was once again out on the balcony, wearing only a pair of flannel pajama pants and little else. She silently thanked the darkness for hiding his chest, and followed him out.

"Hey."

"Hey Jules. Nice detective work tonight..."

"Nice French work tonight," she nudged his side with her elbow and he grinned, shaking his head. "Oh come on. Since when have you been so modest?" He turned to her, a smirk on his face. "Would you do something for me?" Juliet cocked her head to side and Shawn nodded. He suddenly seemed much closer than he had been before. Juliet swallowed forcibly, and stopped herself from licking her lips. "Would you say something in French?"

"Like what?" his voice was low, their arms brushing as they leaned on the railing.

"Anything..." He looked thoughtful for a moment, before smiling. He turned his head back to her and she froze as he leaned close. She hadn't meant for anything to get this far, but he was looking at her, the moonlight dancing in his eyes and his lips soft and full just begging to be kissed. She kept her eyes focused on his, not letting her gaze drop to his mouth.

"Embrasse-moi Juliette," his voice washed over her, and her knees shook as he leaned closer.

"What- ah, what does that mean?" He was so close now, their noses practically touching. She could feel his hot breath ghost over her lips, and she melted when she realized he smelt like mint.

"It means, 'Kiss me, Juliet'..." he knew he was taking a risk, that she could slap him at any moment and storm away. But she didn't. In fact, Juliet leaned in further, her lips just touching his briefly and her eyes fluttering shut at his touch.

"Shawn!" The voice was loud and they sprang apart, a blush spreading over Juliet's cheeks and a pissed look adorning Shawn's usually relaxed face.

"Gus? What the hell!" Shawn hissed to the balcony above them, where Gus's voice had come from.

"I was just checking that you were back. Night buddy!" he heard the balcony door above them slide shut and he growled.

"He's going to pay for this..." the grumble made Juliet smile, as he turned to face her. "Listen Jules... I'll take the floor for tonight okay? It only seems fair." Juliet didn't know what to say. She knew that Shawn wouldn't make her do anything she didn't want to, but she didn't think that sleeping on the floor was necessary. Shawn wouldn't hear it though. "Look Jules. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I'll grab some floor. It looks comfy anyway." With that, he pressed a daring kiss to her forehead and rushed away into the room.

Juliet pressed her hand to her mouth, the tingling feeling not subsiding.

What the hell had just happened?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Juliet awoke the next morning to find that Shawn had already left, a note in his place telling her that pineapple couldn't wait and that he had gone down to breakfast with Gus and Chloe. She smiled a little at his thoughtfulness and placed the note in the back pocket of her jeans. After all, he'd been nice enough to actually leave a note, why wouldn't she want to keep it for future reference? The fact that he had signed it with three little crosses to signify kisses had absolutely nothing what so ever to do with it.

When she reached the restaurant, she found the group easily. The entire pineapple that was adorning the table helped pick them out of the crowd. Although Juliet was sure that the staff actually cut the pineapples for people and left them in small manageable rings, Shawn had insisted on grabbing a whole one, much to the amusement of several people around him.

He was talking animatedly over his pancakes as Juliet strolled up, grudgingly taking the seat next to Chloe.

She was still a little wary of Shawn's old friend and how comfortable she seemed around him. If Chloe noticed Juliet's hostility however, she didn't say anything about it. Instead, she pushed a plate towards the detective, piled with mini croissants and fruit. At her questioning look, Chloe shrugged.

"We didn't know what you would want, so we got you a little bit of everything."

"Thank you..." Juliet's reply was strained. This woman was so polite and nice, the butter wouldn't melt look constantly in place. She had been nothing but the epitome of a lovely person since she'd arrived. So why couldn't Juliet like her? She winced internally, knowing that the answer involved Shawn in many ways. To be fair though, from the stories she'd heard, Chloe's past was far from clean.

She thought back to the story Gus had told her, something about a bad time with drugs. He hadn't gone into detail, but it had been clear enough. She had been addicted to heroin, in deep trouble with her family and the police.

Looking at her now, fresh faced and smiling, Juliet wondered how she had come this far. She was prodding the croissant in front of her, practically staring it down. She finally gave in and bit into it. "Damn it. My ass is already the size of Mount Everest. You'd think I'd know to avoid carbs by now..." she mumbled through the pastry, grabbing another one.

Juliet looked back to the men, Shawn looking grumpy over something.

Gus cut into his fresh rant over something to do with bar prices. "Listen, since we're all here now... We found something," he looked proud of his achievement, pointing at Chloe and himself. The latter rolled her eyes.

"Sorry Gus, who found something?" she asked innocently. Gus deflated slightly.

"Well, I spotted it!" he defended himself and Chloe groaned.

"You wouldn't have been there to spot it had I not forced you to sit and watch the kitchens for three and a half hours," she stated firmly, causing Shawn to look up from his syrup covered plate. Chloe answered his silent question. "Yeah, we missed dinner. Go figure-" she gestured to the food piled in front of Gus, who obviously thought he would starve to death if he missed another meal.

"So what did you find?"

"Well, certain members of the staff seem to go out through the kitchen and stay out there for a good forty five minutes before they come back. And when they do stumble back through the door, their eyes are all glazed over. They look like they've been popping more happy pills than they can handle. Personally, I enjoyed the show. Paranoia is a funny thing to play with..." Chloe's mouth quirked in an evil smirk by the time she'd finished. Shawn and Juliet exchanged glances.

"Okay, Gus, you and I will check out the kitchen dealy. Jules, you and Chloe see if you can sniff out the manager's office," Chloe mock saluted him, turning to grin at Juliet. Said Detective looked like a deer in headlights, trying to think of any excuse to get out of spending time alone with her unwitting rival. Her usually quick mind came up with nothing and she silently cursed. Gus gestured to Shawn wildly, his mouth full of pancake and cereal.

"No Gus, you can't get out of it..." Shawn went back to his own food and Gus frowned, before shrugging and reaching for a glass of orange juice.

"So Juliet, looks like the girls are in charge this afternoon huh?" Chloe grinned at the blond, unaware of how much Juliet was dreading it. She could only nod and force a smile, trying not to protest. Juliet hated the jealous feeling in her stomach. Chloe hadn't shown the slightest interest in Shawn romantically since she'd arrived and yet here was Juliet acting like a complete bitch to her. She was obviously important to both men, someone from their past that they thought of as one of them. They were friends and nothing more. Juliet couldn't help it. Every time Chloe's hand came into contact with Shawn's arm, or every time she laughed at one of his jokes, or he tugged on her hair to get her attention, Juliet had to fight back the urge to claw at her eyes.

This wasn't the kind of person she was. Her silent inner battle raged all the way through breakfast.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shawn and Gus had left Chloe and Juliet in the lobby, doing what they did best and sneaking towards the side door into the kitchen, which Gus had located the night before. Shawn walked on the balls of his feet, all of his father's lessons on sneaking pouring back to him even if he didn't want them to. Gus followed, slightly less graceful but just as quiet. They paused at the end of the corridor, peering around the wall at the rather large security guard who was standing next to the door.

Someone really didn't want anyone in that kitchen. Gus tugged violently on Shawn's sleeve, making the pseudo-psychic slap at him roughly. "Not now Gus," he whined, the tugging on his sleeve not desisting. He finally turned to his best friend, losing sight of the extremely large man. "What?"

"Shawn, let's find another way in. That guy looks like he should be climbing up the Empire State Building..." Gus peeked out again, drawing his head back sharply so as not to be seen.

Shawn gave him a withering look. "Please buddy, when have I ever steered you wrong?" At the look of disbelief on Gus's face, Shawn rolled his eyes. "Well, okay fine. But I was talking about lately." Gus narrowed his gaze. "Look, just follow my lead," Shawn sighed, stepping into plain view of the guard. Gus panicked.

"Shawn! Do not leave me here. Shawn!" he hissed, but to no avail. He could do little but follow miserably.

The guard easily caught sight of them as they walked towards him, and his stance immediately became defensive. "Can I help you gentlemen?" Shawn gave him a winning smile.

"Hi, my name is Shawn Spencer, with The Safe Food Association. This is my partner Eight-Ball Leather Britches-" both the guard and Gus raised an eyebrow at the name. "He doesn't speak much English, but he can say 'daffodil' and 'love me', which gets him into a great deal of trouble when he visits those biker places that he likes." The guard looked immensely confused at the rate that Shawn was speaking at, and shook his head.

"Look, whoever you guys are, you can't be down here."

"We're here to check on food standards in this hotel. We won't take very long, I assure you. May we?" Shawn gestured to the door. Still looking incredulous at the intrusion, the man stepped aside as Shawn turned to Gus. "Say, daffodil to the nice man, Eight-Ball."

If looks could kill, Shawn would have been in the seventh layer of hell from the look Gus shot him. He shuffled past the guard and muttered. "Daffodil..."

"Very good Eight-Ball! He came from one of those newly discovered places in Brazil. The only other thing he speaks is Pig-Latin..." Shawn whispered in a pitying voice as they passed, before he shut the door on the very confused guard. As soon as they were inside, Gus slapped Shawn's arm brutally, making him jump.

"What? It was either that, or Penny-whistle Matchbox. I thought I would roll with Eight-Ball and see where it went."

"Let's go Shawn."

It was another four hours until the hotel served lunch, so the only sound in the kitchen was coming from the open door at the back. Shawn gestured to Gus and they stayed low, crouching as they made their way towards the source of the noise. The paused outside of the door, unfamiliar voices drifting towards them. Shawn peered around the door frame, noting that they were outside in the drop off area.

"When is it getting here? I'm getting fucking edgy man..." Shawn's gaze fell on a small man, his finger's twitching and his nose red as he jumped to his feet and started shifting from one to the other. No surprises there. It was a select few of the waiting staff Shawn noted, the majority of which he'd seen around the bar last night. Standing in the midst of them was the head waiter, his foot hitting the ground in a drumbeat of impatience.

"Shut the fuck up Marv!" he snapped viciously. The little guy, entitled Marv, winced at the harsh tone but shut his mouth all the same. The one female in the group also flinched at the ferocity that their boss had snapped with.

Shawn's eyes were directed to her, the fresh bruise on her wrist, a small cut on her lower lip. Her eyes were cast at the ground at all times, her shoulders slanted. No wonder the female staff avoided this guy, Shawn wrinkled his nose in disgust. Gus was tugging at him again, and Shawn pulled his head back in.

"Yes Eight-Ball?" Gus gave him a withering look.

"What do you see?"

"The waiting staff are, get this, waiting for something. I know, the irony is delicious. Jules was right about the head waiter guy. He's the main man alright and from what I'm seeing, he's taught his girlfriend that lesson many times..." his face filled with contempt again. Gus grimaced. The sound of a loading van made them jump, the constant beeping telling them that something was reversing. Gus poked his head out too this time, both men watching as at least thirty crates of what they assumed to be food were unloaded from the back.

"Why do they need to much food? That's enough to feed the hotel for a month," Shawn whispered, scanning the crates for any clues. Every crate was marked with a spray paint mark, half with blue and half with red. Marv passed a wad of bills to the delivery man and they all watched in silence as he drove away. Marv was becoming edgy again, almost bouncing with anticipation.

Gus cocked his head to the side as he watched nameless head waiter guy pick up a nearby crowbar and slam it under the lid of a crate marked with red paint. The lid came away easily with the amount of force he applied and he threw the metal bar down. It skidded to a halt at the womans feet. "Pick that up," he snapped impatiently and she hopped to it, almost breaking her neck to please him. He reached into the crate, having tossed the lid aside.

Bringing his hand up, he clutched in it a heavy looking bag of white powder and flung it at Marv. He caught it shakily and breathed a sigh of relief. "One for us, the rest... You two," he turned to the other two men who had yet to say anything. "Get all the crates opened and bag all this up. I want it ready to go in fifty grand bags by midnight..." When no-one moved a muscle he practically roared at them. "Now!"

They scrambled over themselves to get to work.

Shawn had seen enough and grabbed Gus's arm. "Let's go buddy. I don't think he'd take kindly to us snooping around." With that, they slipped out of the door to go and find their fake batter halves.

"I hope the girls had as much luck as we did..."

* * *

A/N: Curse you Gus! You and your horrible timing! At least Shawn did the gentlemanly thing and slept on the floor :3 Anyway, the next chapter will have that much needed talk between Chloe and Juliet, something I needed to put in for the sake of continuing the story. It's not Shules, but it does affect them. (In a good way.)

This was also my attempt as Shawn humor, giving Gus a nickname and a background. Please tell me if it made you laugh, otherwise it was just me sitting here like an idiot laughing at my own lame ass joke.

I'd also like to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, you're all such sweethearts for taking the time to do so.

Heres hoping for more prettyful reviews ^^


	5. Chapter 5

Having left the men in the lobby, Juliet and Chloe were currently using their own stealth like moves to sneak their way into the managers office, which was annoyingly situated behind the front desk and down a long hallway. The tired looking employee behind the desk was not the same man who had checked the couples in, and Chloe was planning to use with to her advantage, grinning in a devilish way.

"How are we going to get back there?" Juliet muttered as they walked past for the third time, trying to catch a glimpse every time the door swung open.

"Chill Detective. Shawn's a good teacher. Follow my lead..." Juliet's grit her teeth. Shawn was a good teacher was he? The unnecessary urge to hit Chloe over the head with something blunt was growing every second, because Juliet O'Hara did not like to be ordered around. She could see Chloe's game... Well, she could devise the possibility that Chloe was playing a game. "Just don't say a word." Juliet bit her lip through the urge to tell this woman just what to do with herself. How was she going to get them back there. Little Miss. Perfect was about to get them thrown out. Juliet opened her mouth to tell her so, but when she looked around, Chloe was already striding towards the desk with a purpose to her walk.

Juliet followed the insane little girl reluctantly, not wanting to be thrown out before they got the job done.

Chloe leaned against the desk, letting the elderly man behind it look up in his own time. "Hello good sir. My name is Chloe, I'm with the Santa Barbara Employee Rights Committee. This-" she gestured in Juliet's direction. "Is my associate Juicy Bun 'Jo-Jo' Peacock." Juliet glowered at her.

This was insane. There was no such thing as the Santa Barbara Employee Rights Committee. She was really going to get them in trouble. "Chloe-" Said woman cut her off.

"It's fine Jo-Jo, I can handle it. Sir, are you feeling under valued in your place of work?"

The man looked nothing short of surprised, leaning forward slightly. Juliet sighed. Here it comes. "Does this go on any records?"

"Strictly off it sir," Chloe smiled, wide, bright and welcoming. Juliet stared at her in disbelief. "Is there something you're unhappy with here my good man? We can fix that..."

"Well..." he looked around to the door leading along the hallway. "I don't feel I'm being put to my fullest potential. I mean this sort of thing, day in and day out you know? We don't even get regular coffee breaks. This is an upscale place. The boss says we don't need coffee breaks." Chloe snorted and turned to Juliet, shaking her head.

"You hear that Jo-Jo? They don't even get coffee breaks. Despicable. If you'll let us speak to the manager please, we'll get this mess straightened out," she nodded her head at the door behind him. He looked a little apprehensive.

"My name won't be mentioned will it?"

"Of course not. Complete confidentiality," Chloe gave him that smile again and he seemed to relent, letting Juliet and Chloe squeeze past him and through the door. Once it closed behind them, they were left standing in the hallway. Juliet turned in reluctant amazement to Chloe, who was scratching her head. "You know, that's the second complaint I've gotten from staff about working conditions here. You'd think an upscale place like this would treat it's staff better... Oh well," she shrugged before brushing past Juliet and heading for the door.

"How did you- You know what? Forget I asked," Juliet grumbled. God, she was starting to sound like Lassiter. Her mind rebelled against the thought and she shook her head. She had another twenty bitter years in the Police Force before she had to deal with that.

Chloe smiled mysteriously at her half question.

"I've been around Shawn enough to know how to bluff my way into places. Now, please tell me you know how to pick that thing," she gestured at the lock on the door. Juliet smirked and bent down instead.

"Known how to do it since I was twelve..."

Sure enough, after some careful poking around the lock clicked open and the door swung wide to let them in. Chloe smirked. "I'm impressed Detective. Better not let Carlton know about your talent though. I don't think he'd take to it too kindly..." she waved Juliet inside in front of her, shutting the door behind them. "So, what are we looking for?"

"Employee files on the head waiter. I want to find out his name and what he did before he worked here..." Juliet shuffled through the papers on the cluttered desk as Chloe gingerly stepped over a pile of magazines.

"Not the cleanest guy ever...

"Hmm," was Juliet's only reply as she slid a drawer open, shoving aside a stapler and pulling out a pile of order forms. Somewhere in the corner Chloe had found a filing cabinet, hidden from view by a chair with yet more newspaper and magazines piled on top of it. She yanked open a random drawer, disappointed when she found it empty. Juliet studied the papers that she'd just picked up, frowning at the amount of food that was being delivered to the hotel on a twice a week basis. No hotel, no matter how big, needed this much food for anyone.

"I think I've got it..." Chloe's voice snapped her out of her confusion and she looked up.

"What?"

"The file you wanted. It says his name is Fernando Hydebank. He's been an employee for three years, previous employment... It doesn't say anything," she passed the file to Juliet, who had pulled the blurry photo of the suspect from her purse. She held it against the newer picture.

"That's him alright. Julio Kilmeen. Wanted for drug crimes and murder. He's changed his appearance, but this is definitely the guy..."

"Well then, let's get after him. You know, ride into battle, mount up, get our groove on-"

"Chloe!" Juliet cut her off. "I can see where your going with this, but we can't just charge in with all guns blazing. We need solid proof that he's doing something illegal here in this hotel. I have a feeling these might have to do with whatever he's pulling here, but we need to find out if Shawn and Gus got anything from snooping in the kitchen." Her tone was exasperated.

"Yeah, like food poisoning..." she chuckled, clicking the file drawer shut. Juliet rolled her eyes, thinking that Chloe couldn't see her.

She could.

"Alright. Stop right there," Juliet froze at Chloe's tone of voice, knowing she'd been caught. "Now just what the hell is your problem with me Juliet? I can't think of anything I could have done since I got here that is making you hate me..." Juliet's shoulder's slumped. Yup, she'd most certainly been caught. Apparently she hadn't hidden her unprovoked dislike very well.

"Look Chloe, it's not like that-"

"Oh, I think it is Juliet." This really wasn't the best time to be having this discussion. "I've tried to figure it out since I got here, as to why you can't seem to stand me being around. I've tried to get along with you..." Chloe seemed upset now. "I like you Juliet, I really do. It's important to Shawn that I like you-"

Juliet flinched softly when she mentioned his name, but Chloe's eyes widened.

"That's it isn't it. It's all about Shawn."

"Chloe, Shawn and I-" Juliet didn't know how to finish the sentence. She raised her gaze up to meet Chloe's questioning look. "I'm so sorry I've been so rude to you... It's just when you're around Shawn... You two just seem to click and I... I get... You have such a good chemistry and a history-"

"Whoa there Juliet. Let's not get a head of ourselves. What history?"

Juliet's eyes widened slightly. "Didn't the two of you use to date?" Chloe stared at her blankly for a minute, before a laugh broke out from her mouth. It wasn't just a small laugh either, but a belly laugh. Juliet looked confused at her reaction. When Chloe finally calmed down, she had to rest against the edge of the desk to get her breath back.

"Oh God, that was funny... Listen Juliet, I love Shawn, I really do. Just like I love Gus, like they're my brothers. If Shawn and I dated we'd end up in jail before the week was out. He needs someone to keep him grounded. Someone like you..." she cocked her head to the side when Juliet blushed. Chloe turned serious. "Shawn and I are like family. He helped me out back when-" her voice quivered slightly. "I think Gus told you a bit about me didn't he?"

Juliet nodded, aware of where the conversation was heading. "I was into drugs pretty deep Juliet. So deep I couldn't see the light anymore. All I could see was my next fix... Three people stood by me through it all. My mom, bless her, she's still waiting for me to pay her back... Gus, who helped me through my detox... and Shawn. He paid my bills, brought me food and wasn't afraid to slap some sense into my spaced out ass. They were there for me. Family, like I said."

"I had no idea... All along I thought you were this perfect woman with no flaws..."

Chloe laughed loudly, her palms spread flat over the desk behind her. "If you knew what I did to get my fix back then, you wouldn't say that... It took me years to realize that I could be a good person again. I'm just enjoying it. Basking in the glow, you know? The debt I owe to people... My mother, Gus and Shawn..." she sighed. "I'll never be able to repay them. But I do think that you would be good for him Juliet."

"You swear you won't mind if I ask him out?" The words sounded silly to her own ears after a revelation like that, but Juliet needed to say them. Chloe shook her head.

"I would throw confetti at you as you drove off into the sunset. I know you've wanted to do it since I arrived. I just had no idea that it was me putting you off," she laughed again, softly this time. Juliet didn't know what to say. She felt so stupid and embarrassed by her actions against this clearly turmoiled person. Chloe sensed her inner guilt. "Listen, how about we start over hmm? Hi, I'm Chloe, nice to meet you."

Juliet looked at her outstretched hand and sincere expression and smiled. She shook it. "Juliet, it's lovely to meet you too."

"By the way Juliet, when we get out of here... I'm totally hitting on Carlton."

"Ew..."

xxxxxxxxxx

Having dragged Shawn away from the indoor pool, insisting that they weren't here for that, Juliet finally had everyone together at the same table. She slid into her seat, looking expectantly at the two men. Sadly, expectations are very rarely met these days, and they continued to stare back at her with blank expressions. She rolled her eyes and kicked Shawn under the table. He jumped and winced, reaching down to rub the sting out of his shin.

"What was that for?" he whined petulantly, giving her a mock glare.

"What did you guys-" Juliet looked around and lowered her voice, leaning into the table slightly. Everyone else copied her movement. It must have looked strange from the perspective of the other diners. "What did you find out?" Realization dawned on them.

"Oh right, yeah. We went out through the kitchen after Shawn made a fool out of me in front of a guard..."

"Daffodil," Shawn snorted under his breath as Gus's hand snapped out to catch him on the arm. "Ow! What is with you people today? What did you invent a new game called 'Kick The Shawn'?"

"Yeah. Wanna see how good I am at it?" Chloe narrowed her eyes, a warning for him to shut up. He complied grudgingly. "You were saying Gus?"

Gus nodded his thanks and continued. "We ended up spying on the waiter's out back, in the delivery drop off. You know, the place where all the food is dumped before it's given to unsuspecting hotel guests?" The women nodded. "Well, the head waiter guy... he pops open a crate and pulls out a bag of cocaine the size of my head. Seriously..."

"Dude, it could have been talcum powder... Although I wouldn't really recommend sniffing it unless you're into that sort of thing..." Shawn finally broke his vow of thirty second silence. "If you want to get evidence on this guy-" he turned to Juliet. "Then I'm sensing you should talk to a- a Garv, Gil, Kill, Bill, Kill Bill Volume 2-"

"Shawn!" Gus nudged him roughly and Shawn sighed.

"Marv, talk to a guy named Marv. I'm feeling that he's really jumpy, nervous. If you pull him in for questioning, he'll sing like a pigeon..."

"That's canary Shawn," Gus corrected. Shawn didn't take his eyes off of Juliet as he answered.

"I've heard it both ways."

"What about you two, Make any significant finds?" Gus let out a long suffering sigh before turning to them. Juliet and Chloe exchanged glances. Chloe nodded at her.

"I'll let you field this one Juliet. I hate telling a story when Shawn's around..."

"Well, after we got into the managers office we snooped around in his files. We found ordering forms for twice as much food that's needed for a hotel, and we got the records on one 'Fernando Hydebank'." She was met with vacant looks again. She sighed. "The head waiter?" The little light dinged on and she continued. "Well, that's definitely our guy. His real name is Julio Kilmeen. He looks different than he did a few years ago, but it's definitely him alright..."

"Well shouldn't we arrest him then? Call the Chief and Lassie Face?" Shawn leaned in a little further, lowering his voice to make sure that no outsiders heard them.

Juliet repeated what she had told Chloe earlier. "We need hard evidence. Just because the staff are walking around in a drug induced haze, doesn't mean we can arrest him. We need something that would hold up in court. The last time Kilmeen was arrested, he walked out in the space of four days. People were too afraid to come forward and testify. Hell, they were even to scared to press charges at that point..." Juliet trailed off, clearly thinking about something troubling.

"Jules?" Shawn's voice brought her back to reality.

"Sorry... Listen, I'm going to the ladies to radio the Chief. She might have some ideas on what we can do. It'll also be useful to tell her that we've found him. Stay put. Oh and Shawn?" He turned to her, a smile twitching on his lips.

"Yes my little love bucket?"

"...Okay, whatever. Don't draw attention to yourself."

As she walked to the bathroom, she realized that it was easier said than done in his case.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Okay Chief, thank you." Juliet punched the disconnect button with a little more force than she should have. They really were in a bind now. Without solid proof of Kilmeen's drug ring, Lassiter couldn't arrest anyone. Even if the Police did storm the building, there was the concern that members of the ring could escape or be missed. They needed ID on everyone that Shawn and Gus had seen and they needed it soon. The SBPD couldn't pay for them to stay for more than a week, so they were already low on time.

Stuffing the radio back into her purse, Juliet glared at her reflection. The night they had first arrested Julio Kilmeen flashed through her mind, the images berating her until she shook her head roughly and forced them aside.

This really wasn't the time for personal vendettas against hardened criminals.

Straightening her blouse, she sucked in a steadying breath and headed for the door. It swung open wide at the force of Juliet's shove and she marched back to the table, earning concerned looks from it's occupants. "What happened?" Gus was the only one with enough nerve to ask.

"We're basically on our own," she barked out, folding her arms in annoyance as everyone else groaned.

"She didn't have anything for us? No raids? No Lassiter riding in an off-white donkey?" Shawn ignored the looks he got for the last question.

"Nothing. Until we get our proof, we have nothing. I refuse to leave here until I get this asshole behind bars..."

No-one spoke for several seconds, their minds processing the new information and trying desperately to think of a way to defeat the villain and save the day. Nothing plausible sprang to mind. During their short period of reflection, a lone waitress had wandered to their table; notepad in hand and an odd sultry smile on her face.

Juliet paid no particular attention to her as their orders were taken, until of course, she addressed Shawn with a girlish giggle in her voice.

"So, I heard through the grapevine that you-" she pointed as him with a perfectly manicured fingernail. "Speak French." Everyone's attention was suddenly on the unfolding scene, and Juliet's reaction to it.

Shawn, never one to be rude, answered. "Uh, yes. That would be me..."

"I knew it," she laughed, flipping her hand at him. "The girls around here have been chock full of stories about a handsome guy who spoke French..." The flirting poured from her lips, unabashed at the fact Shawn was sitting with friends and his 'wife'. Juliet glanced at Chloe briefly, who was biting back a smile.

"Oh... that was... nice?" Shawn eyed Juliet, wondering if she was going to kill him now or later.

"Would you say something in French for me?"

That struck a chord, mirroring Juliet's words from the previous night and just before they had almost kissed. Her gaze narrowed as Shawn floundered helplessly. Gus was biting his napkin so as not to laugh and Chloe had hidden her shaking form behind a large menu, hoping that Juliet wouldn't kill this unsuspecting woman too hard.

"Actually, Shawn only speaks French to me..." Juliet finally cut in, her arm slipping through his in a display of female dominance. Shawn found himself unable to speak and more than a little hot around the collar at the deadly look in Juliet's eyes.

"Are you his girlfriend or something?" the waitress raised an eyebrow. A snort of laughter came from behind the raised menu, while tears were beginning to form in Gus' eyes. Juliet scowled openly. This child clearly had no self- preservation. Or dignity.

Or will to leave the hotel alive.

"Try his wife..." That made the waitress stand to attention, and she scurried away defeated with her tail between her legs.

"Thanks Jules," Shawn's smile spread from ear to ear as she blushed, unlinking their arms. "Or should I say, my love?" Juliet didn't answer, but let her mouth curl into a smirk. Gus finally managed to spit out the napkin as Chloe let the menu drop.

"Dinner entertainment over," Gus laughed out, wiping his eyes slightly after such an ordeal. "I think I have an idea."

* * *

A/N: Well, the waitress was definitely looking for a little Bow Chicka Wow Wow from out resident psychic XD Thank God Juliet put her in her place before she could say something really bad.

Go Jules for standing your ground. You get your man! Chloe's past is a little sketchy right now, but I'm leaving it at that. It would be silly to really elaborate on it, considering it's not vital to the plot.

Did you like the girly talk that they finally had? It seemed right that they should settle things. I really would love to do another fic after this, maybe get into Lassiter/Chloe and some more Shules, but I'm wary of the warnings that people don't like a recurring OC.

If people want me to do it, then it'll be no problem. I would probably make it a continuance of this fic if I did though.

Reviews make me laugh, smile and become slightly paranoid. I like that :)


	6. Chapter 6

"A camera?" Chloe raised an eyebrow as Gus, who was looking at them expectantly.

"Don't get me wrong, I love the idea, but has anyone actually got a camera with them? I mean, it's not the first thing I would pack on an undercover stakeout..." Shawn raised a speculative eyebrow at the group. When he didn't receive an answer from anyone, he rolled his eyes. "Great, that's great guys... What about our phones?"

Juliet fielded that question.

"Nope, no good. We need something that could be used in a courtroom. A picture on a phone could be accidentally deleted or not of good enough quality to hold up in the case or actually be used as evidence." She shrugged helplessly at her pseudo-husband. She could see that Shawn was beginning to get agitated. It wasn't an emotion that a laid back person like him would usually display, so it was easy for Juliet to see the flash of annoyance in his eyes and the way his jaw tightened ever so slightly.

She took a moment to pry herself away from what was a blatant excuse to stare at Shawn and looked up at Gus and Chloe. She was surprised to find that the once bright and somewhat gaudy lighting in the bar had been toned down drastically, bathing everyone in the soft golden light from the individual candles adorning the tables. The silence that met Shawn's unusual bad mood was broken by Gus when he snapped his fingers loudly and looked up from his drink.

"The Gift Shop!"

"You know what buddy, I think I have enough pens that don't work and key rings with my name on them, but thanks for thinking of me anyway," Shawn raised an eyebrow, the anxiety from moments ago suddenly replaced with a light teasing mood. Juliet was silently amazed at how he could change his emotions so quickly, in the blink of an eye.

"I think he's right, shopping isn't really appropriate right now Gus... Or should I call you Eight-Ball?" Chloe nudged him playfully with her elbow, causing his drink to slosh precariously at the rim of the glass. Gus scowled, clearly thinking something mean that he would never say out loud. Instead, he chose to explain his statement.

"I was talking about the disposable camera's they sell in the gift shop." He gave them a 'duh' look. "They're pretty good quality these days... Would that be okay?" he directed his question to Juliet, who was looking insultingly surprised at his idea.

"Yeah, actually that would be perfect. Nice one Gus," she beamed and Gus puffed out his chest slightly, clearly enjoying his moment of glory. Shawn snorted in barely contained laughter.

Gus glared at him while Juliet just shook her head, far too used to their antics than should be allowed.

"So, we're agreed then?" Chloe asked and nods came from all round, quite enthusiastically from Gus's direction. "Good. Juliet, you looked at the drop off times right?"

"Yeah."

"When did it say the next one was?"

"I think..." Juliet threw her mind back to the little slip of paper she'd been reading over that afternoon. "Two days time. 11:15 I think... Yes, 11:15 definitely," she nodded firmly, cementing her answer. Shawn smirked at her when she looked over at him and she could suddenly feel that familiar warm blush creeping up her neck, towards her cheeks.

"That's settled then ladies. I'm going to go and purchase myself a camera... you know, inconspicuously," Chloe pushed herself up from the table and grinned in her own infuriating way.

"I didn't know you knew how to pronounce that word... let alone know what it meant."

Shawn ducked as she swung her purse at his head. He came back up laughing, while Chloe stuck her tongue out at him before waltzing away to find the Gift Shop before she really did some damage to his smug face.

She didn't think Juliet would appreciate it much. As Chloe walked away, Gus stretched in his seat somewhat theatrically, his arms above his head. "Well, I think I'll escort her. Don't want her to get hurt or anything... I'll just leave you two alone," he grinned before dashing away, leaving them with nothing more than a little wave.

Shawn chuckled loudly, leaning his arm on the back of Juliet's seat.

"He knows that Chloe can beat up a football team with her eyes shut, doesn't he?" Juliet would have answered had his finger's not ghosted against her shoulder to pluck at the strap of her top. Instead she gave him a little grin, not trusting herself to open her mouth. They still hadn't discussed the kiss from the previous night, but it seemed that Shawn was quite happy to sit and stroke her shoulder and occasionally her neck as they sat in silence. Juliet felt herself grow bolder as she reclined into his touch, a smile lighting on her face when he scooted his chair closer and signaled the waiter for another set of drinks.

There was hope for tonight yet.

xxxxxxxx

"So eventually, we get down from the tree after forty five minutes; cat in hand of course. We take it back to Mrs. Beecham, only for her to tell us that we got the wrong damn cat..." Shawn trailed off as Juliet began to laugh at him, a smile growing on his face as he watched her.

The bar had considerably quietened when happy hour had finished, which Shawn was surprised to find was three hours ago. When people had begun to clear out for the night, he'd moved them to a secluded little corner at the back of the room, making sure the lighting was just bright enough that he could see her blush when he touched her. To say that Shawn was enjoying this case would be a gross understatement at the moment, as Juliet leaned her head into his chest and stroked his hand lightly.

"You and Gus really did do everything as kids didn't you?" she mused, playing absentmindedly with his fingers while he laughed.

"I could tell you about the time we tried to build a tree house and Gus banged a nail through my dads hand..." he hummed in approval when Juliet vibrated with laughter against him at the mere thought of it. "I thought you'd like that..."

"Shawn?"

"Yeah?" he looked at her, blue eyes piercing his intently. Her question hung heavy in the air and for the second night in a row, Shawn found it difficult to breathe. "Yes Jules?"

Her gaze dropped to his lips and he inadvertently swallowed, his tongue snaking out to wet his lips. She leaned up, using his shoulders as leverage and pressed her mouth to his. This wasn't like the nervous kiss from the night before. This was firm and sure, passionate and longing. Shawn's hands went to her waist to hold her steady, her lips parting to allow him access to her hot mouth. He didn't dive in straight away, wanting to savor the moment, so instead his tongue traced her lips.

She let out a moan of appreciation when he bit down lightly on her swollen bottom lip, tugging on it softly.

The motion caused her hands to fly from his neck to his hair, her fingers curling through it and pulling gently to get him even closer than he was. It was then that Shawn deepened the kiss, satisfied that she wanted more he dipped his tongue in to meet hers. His finger's pressed into her waist, happy to be in so much contact with her warm body while he finger's threaded deeper into his already messy hair. They stayed that way for a while, constantly battling for dominance as he would stroke her tongue with his and she would bite his bottom lip teasingly.

Eventually Juliet pulled away, her lungs burning for much needed air, which she gasped in gratefully. Shawn was a little more reserved, his eyes still closed and her unique taste still burning on his lips.

"I know that..." he paused for breath again. "I know that you could do so much better Jules," his hand went up to stroke her face, her wide eyes looking at him in confusion. "But would you consider giving me a chance? If you told me that this was just a 'heat of the moment' thing... I couldn't-"

Juliet effectively silenced him with another passionate kiss, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing herself against him. She pulled away and pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth. "You can have as many chances as you want Shawn... I want this, this thing between us. I want it more than I've wanted any relationship in my life," she breathed out gently, getting a weight off of her chest when she said the words. Shawn was silent for what seemed like a lifetime, before he chuckled breathlessly.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that Jules," his fingers toyed mindlessly with her hair.

"Say something to me in French," she pleaded softly, still not releasing his shoulders from her grasp. Shawn's eyes lit up playfully, a sly grin crossing his features.

"Oh, I knew there had to be some fetish in there somewhere..." Juliet blushed heavily as he grinned. "You like it when I speak French?" She nodded ever so slightly. "Whys that Jules? Something you want to tell me?" Her eyebrow raised at his question.

"What's there to tell?" her tone was teasing, her body language seductive as she pressed herself to the man she'd been longing for for so many months now.

"Est-ce que vous allumez?" When the words slipped so easily from his mouth, a rush of heat descended to the top of Juliet's thighs and she was forced to squeeze them together to dull the new ache.

"What... what does that mean?" her voice was strained even to her own ears as Shawn's lips brushed her ear teasingly.

"I asked you if it turned you on," she could hear the smugness in his voice, but she really couldn't bring herself to do anything about it when the statement was entirely true in every way. With a boldness she didn't know she possessed, she pushed herself up on her tip-toes and whispered in his ear.

"How would you say, 'Make love to me,'?" Her breath tickled his ear and it was Shawn's turn to shift nervously, but all the same he obliged to her question.

"Me faire l'amour," his voice was husky as Juliet leaned in to him again.

"With pleasure..." Shawn's eyes widened almost comically when she gripped his hand and tugged him over to the bar to pay their tab for the night. Shawn slapped down three twenty's, not caring when the bartender called after him for his change. All he could see was Juliet. As soon as they made it to the elevator and the doors slid shut behind them, Shawn attacked Juliet's mouth with his own and she found herself being pressed into the cool metal wall behind her by his pleasantly warm body.

Juliet hitched her legs up around his waist, letting him support her with the wall behind her. His hands slid away from her waist to the bottom of her thighs, massaging lightly until he had the nerve to slip them up higher. Juliet laughed against his mouth, her legs tightening around his waist almost painfully until Shawn realized that she was trying to relieve the building pressure. He grinned at her saucily, before leaning back in to trail his mouth along her jaw in an open mouth kiss.

He continued down her neck, his head ducking as she leaned hers back to give him better access. Out of the corner of his eye, Shawn saw their floor coming up and much to Juliet's obvious disappointment he detached his lips from her overheated skin and set her down on her feet gently. "Patience Jules..." he purred into her ear, nipping lightly at her. Despite her whimper of pleasure, she found enough energy to poke fun at him.

"Since when have you ever been patient?" He avoided having to answer when she jumped slightly at the doors dinging open, revealing an elderly couple who had been waiting for the elevator.

Juliet was suddenly hyper-aware of just how they must look, red-faced and breathing heavily with their clothes somewhat mussed up. Blushing a deep shade of red she exited with Shawn in tow, hoping he was as embarrassed as her, but he merely tossed the couple a satisfied cat-who-ate-the-canary grin before pushing her towards their door. Even through her annoyance at his obvious flaunting, she was still hastily struggling with the door while Shawn made it even more difficult by brushing her hair aside and kissing the back of her neck.

Finally, Juliet all but kicked it open in frustration and yanked him inside, slamming the offending thing shut behind them.

The heat from before was unbroken as they crashed together again in a tangle of limbs, not even caring when Shawn stumbled backwards and landed with a thud on the floor. Juliet merely followed him, sitting astride his lap and kissing him for all she was worth. Shawn's hands were everywhere and they finally slipped under her top to warm her already hot skin. Juliet let out a little gasp against him when his thumbs brushed the underside of her breasts. Even through the fabric of her bra she could feel his touch burn a trail across her skin.

She knew this wasn't going to be slow. They could go slow and tease each other into oblivion later, but now she needed him to be inside of her. She needed to feel that connection between them.

Pulling his shirt over his head, Juliet ran her hands along Shawn's newly exposed chest, taking note of everything she hadn't been able to before. She'd caught glimpses here and there when he lifted his arms over his head, but here he was laid out before her, just for her to explore in any way she liked. Her nails skimmed over his flushed skin, and she elicited a moan from him when she brushed over his nipple, making her smile.

He wasn't wasting any time either, her shirt unbuttoned and thrown to one side precariously with his. His hands immediately went to her breasts, clad in lace and all for him. Juliet let out another gasp, louder than before when his mouth wrapped around a nipple through the fabric, hardening it under his tongue. Her head fell back at the rapt attention he was paying to her breasts and when he unclasped her bra for better access, her hips bucked into his. She was still straddling him on the floor, so she wasn't surprised when he groaned loudly as her movement caused her to grind into his prominent erection.

"Jules," her name rolled off of his tongue, muffled by her flesh under his lips.

"Shawn..." she responded, popping the button on his pants and slipping the zipper down. His erection strained for freedom as she brushed against it and he groaned loudly, sending little tremors along her spine. He lifted his hips to allow her to pull his jeans past them and down to his thighs. She lifted herself briefly, in which time he lapped at the bare skin of her naval instead, dipping his tongue into her belly button.

He paused suddenly, looking up in brief fear. "Jules, I don't have..."

Knowing what he meant almost instantly, she pressed a finger against his lips and gave him a sly wink. "It's fine, I'm on the pill..." her fingers threaded through his hair when he looked relieved.

She jumped against him while he slipped her jeans along her legs, his hands brushing her skin along with his lips. Their breathing became heavier as Juliet slipped her panties down, oddly embarrassed as Shawn stared up at her in awe. He murmured against her skin,"Je ne peux pas attendre pour vous faire goûter..."

Juliet melted into a puddle, sinking down into his lap again to face him. She slipped her hand into his boxers to free him and he hissed when she made contact with his swollen length. "Tell me..." he cut her off as he pulled her hips forward to hover over him. "Tell me what it means..." Her eyes met his as she sank down onto his length, neither blinking but letting out mutual groans of pleasure.

"It...ugh," Shawn held her hips in place briefly as she adjusted to him. "Means, I can't wait to taste you-" she cut him off as she started to move over him in a steady rhythm, their hips moving together slowly as they got used to the feeling.

"Tell me- ugnh!" She gasped and whimpered in pleasure as he brushed over her clit. "Tell me more..."

Shawn was happy to oblige. "Vous vous sentez si bien autour de moi," he murmured and Juliet cried out, her hips bucking into his, sending him even deeper than he thought possible. "You feel so good around me-" Shawn was moving under her now, pressing upwards to nudge Juliet into a more frantic pace. His fingers brushed her clit again and she moaned in appreciation. Her movements were becoming erratic and Shawn could see her falling apart under his finger tips.

Her head fell into the crook of his neck as his arms wrapped around her back, her hips pumping a steady beat with his now. It was almost frantic as the only sound filling the room were the gasps and moans of the writhing couple.

Shawn could feel her quiver under his fingertips and the fluttering he felt over his cock told him that she was close. So close she could taste it, and the tightening of her muscles around him made him want to push her over the edge. Brushing her ear with his lips he groaned when she squeezed teasingly around him, but he wasn't easily taken off target. "Venu pour moi de Juliette..." he purred huskily, while thrusting upwards and rubbing his thumb over her clit.

It was all Juliet needed to throw her head back in ecstasy, the tightness that had built up in her stomach exploding and sending lightening bolts everywhere. Fireworks went off behind her closed eyelids as she bucked and quivered under the force of her orgasm.

Shawn groaned as Juliet clenched around him, burying his face in her neck as he felt his release spill into her. He bucked at the power of his orgasm as they rode the waves out together. Finally collapsing against each other, sweaty and exhausted, Juliet looked up from Shawn's neck to survey their position.

"I think we should definitely try the bed later..." she smiled lazily, watching as he let a smug grin spread over his face.

"I'm just hoping that we shut the balcony doors," he chuckled breathlessly.

* * *

A/N: Finally! I actually wrote this Chapter ages ago, before I wrote Chapters 2,3,4 and 5, so I hope everything fits together well. French Shawn really pulled it out of the bag here didn't he? You may get another little 'taste' of smut again in Chapter eight. I'm hoping you all caught onto the joke there ;3

If not, then once again I stand alone in finding myself funny.

I'm hoping I got the general urgency of the moment across here. Forgive me if I didn't, but thats what I was going for. Short and really sweet :) I really didn't want to write an epically long sex scene like in my one-shots, because there's still a plot to see to. I'm also trying to limit my chapters to under 4000 words. Not too short, but not long enough to begin to bore you guys.

I'd also like to put it out there, that if anyone has a request for Shules smut that they would like me to write for whatever reason, then feel free to ask me. My muse has left me at the moment, so I'm looking for any work you have for me.

You've all been so generous with your reviews. I don't think any other fandom fans are as generous as you guys are.

Hits make me happy, but reviews make me happier ^^


	7. Chapter 7

As the bright morning sun shone through the small crack in the curtains, it slowly illuminated Juliet's sleeping form. She snuffled softly and stretched her body under the covers, receiving a small pop from her back for her efforts. As her eyes fluttered open, she frowned slightly in the light and lifted her head from the groove in pillow. A little soft groan escaped her lips as she moved from the comfortable position she'd been in for the last few hours. Her muscles were aching she briefly mused and images from the night before came rushing back to her. _Her and Shawn on the bed; making love, talking and then making love all over again..._ Smiling, she rolled onto her back to test just how sore her thighs were. She winced.

Yeah, thats what she got for a night of sex...She suddenly frowned.

Something definitely wasn't right here. It occurred to her very slowly that she was alone in the rumpled bed, instead of with an equally sore Shawn. Sitting up, she pulled the sheet up to cover herself and looked around to see if he was anywhere in the room. Confusion marred her once satisfied features as her eyes searched for him. His clothes were still on the floor where they had been thrown hap-haphazardly hours before. She finally gave up and called out for him.

"Shawn?"

"In here," his voice came from the direction of the bathroom and Juliet let out a little breath she didn't realize that she was holding. Why hadn't she thought of the bathroom? Of course he hadn't left she sighed happily, suddenly wishing he wasn't so far away.

After everything they'd talked about last night, in between the sex... occasionally during... Juliet shook her head and scolded herself for thinking she was just another notch on his bedpost. He suddenly appeared in the doorway, just a towel hanging low on his waist and a grin lighting up his handsome face. The smile widened when she came into view. "Good morning beautiful..." his voice was rough from their activities and she cocked her head to side.

Juliet smiled softly, her eyes trailing along his chest to where the towel covered him. "Are you coming back to bed? Or are you going to stand there and charm me all day?" she smirked while sitting up, letting the sheet pool around her waist. Shawn's eyes darkened considerably even in the sunlight streaming into the room. Juliet giggled loudly ridding herself of the sheet completely. It fell to the floor beside the bed, but Shawn's eyes never left her.

"I don't think there's any competition really..." he laughed on the way to bed, the towel falling away as he got there. Juliet pulled him down, his body covering hers and warmth spreading through her. Shawn's lip immediately found hers and they continued from where they'd left off hours before.

Somewhere in the background, Shawn's phone vibrated in his forgotten jeans.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Downstairs in the restaurant, Chloe and Gus sat among the bustling crowd. Their table was set for four, food piled up on plates and yet they were still waiting for two of their party to show up.

"Well call him again. It's eleven thirty. Surely they didn't stay up that late..." Gus suggested to an irritable Chloe, before picking through what was left of his pancakes. Chloe rolled her eyes openly. They'd been sitting there since ten waiting impatiently for either Shawn or Juliet to put in an appearance to breakfast. She pulled out her phone again and pressed four, Shawn's allocated speed dial. It rang shrilly for a few minutes before once again going to voice mail. She cursed and jabbed the 'end' button.

"God almighty Shawn..." she sighed. Turning to Gus, she deftly stole a croissant from his plate before continuing on her rant of why Shawn should get a watch. Something suddenly sprang to mind. "Hey Gus...You don't think something happened last night do you?"

"Like what?" He looked up from his plate for a brief second. She gave him a 'duh' look before continuing.

"As in maybe they're late to breakfast because they didn't get that much sleep last night?" Gus' eyes widened almost comically as Chloe gave him a pointed look, but he suddenly shrugged. "What are you shrugging about?" she asked.

"It would be about time in my opinion..." he grabbed the newspaper that they'd picked up earlier, scanning over the headlines.

"You know Gus for once I can't find it in me to argue with you. You should mark this date on your Spice Girls calendar," Chloe slipped her phone into her back pocket, promptly giving up on making any contact with Shawn for the time being.

"Oh look, you're funny," Gus grumbled dryly, making Chloe laugh. "Did you get the camera last night? I must have been asleep when you got back," he mumbled through another mouthful of food. Chloe grimaced and rolled her eyes.

"Dude, mouth full. Look into it..."

Gus swallowed. "Sorry, force of habit. Being around Shawn you have to be ready to answer any question at any time. Mouth full or not."

"Figures. To answer your poorly mannered question, yes I did get a camera and no the gift shop does not sell Crunch Bars," she added to the end, knowing instantly what he was thinking, even if he hadn't voiced it yet.

"Damn-"

Chloe looked up at him when he stopped talking mid-sentence. Gus was frozen, fork halfway to his mouth and his eyes locked on something behind Chloe's confused form. She cocked her head to the side and was about to voice a question when he held up a hand to silence her. "I think we have to go... As in right now..." Without any further explanation of his off behavior, he pushed his chair backwards with a loud scrape and grabbed Chloe's wrist, yanking her somewhat ungracefully out of her chair and away from the table. The odd looks they were getting did little to discourage him as he weaved through the morning crowd towards the glass doors.

Chloe could do little but try not to fall on her face as she was dragged after him.

"Gus!" she called out after a near miss with a old man carrying a coffee cup. He didn't pay any attention to her distressed calls, not stopping until they were out of the restaurant and well into the main lobby.

"What the hell Gus? I still had some eggs left," she fumed loudly at his odd behavior but Gus wasn't paying any attention. He was still looking around in concern, like they were being followed. "Gus, either tell me or-" He shushed her and Chloe's eyes narrowed. "You did not just shush me-" Gus made the sound again and she growled. She wasn't moving until she got an explanation. She pulled away from his grasp and stamped down violently, her foot coming into brutal contact with his. He yelped loudly, attracting the attention of a few people around them.

Whimpering, Gus gave her a look. "Tell me or I'll do it again. These boots need to be broken in and your feet are a great way to do it..." Gus took the easier route out.

"Fine, I'll tell you... Look, last night I may, out of nothing but concern for this case you understand..." Chloe cleared her throat before he could continue rambling. Gus looked scared. "I uh, may have called Lassiter-" Chloe's eyes widened and she looked around her quickly, before finally turning the tables and violently yanking Gus over to a secluded corner behind a large plant. "Please don't hurt me..."

She pushed him against the wall before beginning the barrage of questions. "Why? Why? Why would do such a thing? Incognito Gus! What-" she stopped herself before she could go any further and really take a swing at him. Taking a calming breath, she exhaled through her nose and opened her eyes to look at him. She voiced her urgent question again. "Just tell me why you did something so stupid."

"I just wanted to know if the camera angle would work in court... You know, just so we weren't wasting our time with it and we could use something else. I uh, I think someone may have over heard me when I was going along the hallway..." As he finished the explanation, Gus looked guiltily at the floor as Chloe's hands went to her hair in frustration. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to be sure. I didn't think there was anyone around me but when I'd finished on the phone a bellboy came around the corner. I don't know how long he was there for, but just now the scary ass head waiter just gave me a 'You are so dead' look..."

Chloe whined loudly, the noise of frustration almost like a cry for help. "Dammit all. Look," she turned to him, her hands still tangled in her hair. "We have to get to Shawn and Juliet, before we're caught by Mr. Psychopath." She turned away to look around the room. "If we sneak over to the elevator then we can get to their room pretty easily... Gus, what now!" Gus was tugging on her sleeve continuously. Following his gaze, her heart missed a beat; and not in that good 'I'm in love' way. In the 'Holy crap we're going to be turned into sausage meat' kind of way...

Kilmeen had emerged from the restaurant, his head snapping about to try and locate them most probably. They huddled closer behind the greenery as he stalked past, practically plastering themselves to the wall. Gus held his breath as he paused, not that far away from their hiding place. Chloe shut her eyes, praying to some unknown higher power that she wasn't going to be shot.

By an act of God, Kilmeen continued his search, striding purposely towards the front desk. Chloe cracked an eye open and released the breath she'd been holding. "We need to get to the elevator..." she glanced across the lobby to the metal doors. They slipped from behind the plant and slunk towards the nearest pillar. To do that, they would have to pass where Kilmeen was now snapping something to the old man behind the desk, probably asking if he'd seen them or not. Gus made a terrified noise in the back of his throat as said old man pointed in their general direction.

"Screw him. No wonder he doesn't get coffee breaks..." Chloe gripped Gus' sleeve in fear, her bravado slipping as Kilmeen turned his head to look for them. "Crap! Run away, run away, run away, run away..." she chanted as they dove behind the nearest thing to them; which happened to be a large marble statue of some obscure Greek Goddess that no-one had ever heard of.

"Why couldn't Lassiter just give us guns?" Gus complained softly as Chloe peered around a carefully crafted arm to search for Kilmeen. He was heading towards their area and she squeaked loudly, a knot tightening in her stomach.

Someone called his name and he turned briefly, but the window of opportunity was there and they took it with as much speed as they could. Chloe ran that fast that she overtook Gus, sliding on the floor of the elevator and slamming very ungracefully into the back wall. With a small groan she slid down it, coming to rest on the floor as Gus repeatedly pushed the button for Shawn and Juliet's floor. By the time Kilmeen had turned back, they were safely on their way to someone with a gun.

_**Meanwhile...**_

Juliet's finger's threaded through Shawn's hair as he rested himself between her legs, a satisfied grin spreading over his face as she tried to get her breath back. Pressing a kiss to her stomach, he chuckled once again and pulled himself up so that they were face to face. "Enjoy that?" his voice was smug, knowing full well that she'd enjoyed it but wanting to hear it anyway.

"Don't be so smug..." Juliet groaned happily, her body finally relaxing back into the bed as her tense muscles unclenched to leave her body in a jelly like state. Shawn's lips went to her neck to soothe the hot skin with cool breathes and make her arch into him once again. "Why didn't we do this sooner?" Juliet's hands skimmed the expanse of his back to pull him closer. Shawn lifted his head to look her in the eye.

"Because we're idiots," he chuckled, capturing her lips in another kiss. Juliet moaned under him, her legs coming up to wrap around his waist and nudged her hips upwards. Shawn however, had different plans and pulled out of her embrace. She whined softly at the loss of contact and raised herself up onto her elbows to look at him.

"What are you doing?" she cocked her head to the side as he knelt back to watch her. He gave a grin and trailed his gaze along her naked form, the look in his eyes almost making her blush.

"Turn over," Shawn motioned with his hand, but she remained where she was; a confused look on her face.

"What? Shawn..."

"Trust me Jules. Turn over," the pleading look on his face made her roll her eyes and do as he asked. She rolled herself over, her stomach coming into contact with the cool sheets. She shivered lightly, supporting her weight on her elbows. She couldn't see Shawn anymore and so she missed the lust filled expression on his face as he observed her in front of him. "God Jules..." his hands slid along her back and over her ass, before moving back again. They settled next to her head as he hovered over her. Pressing his chest into her back he heard her whimper softly.

Juliet raised her stomach off of the bed so that his arm could slip under to hold her closer. As more of his weight pressed her down she sighed out a little sound of anticipation. Shawn lowered his head so that it was next to hers, his cheek pressing against her ear and his breath hot on her cheek. He watched her eyes flutter shut at the full body contact and he pressed his lips to her jaw.

Using his knee he nudged her thighs apart and settle between them for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. Juliet let out a gasp as his head came into contact with her core, rubbing lightly to tease her. She turned her head slightly to find his lips, giving him the incentive to push himself into her, eliciting dual groans of pleasure from them. Juliet's idle hands bunched the sheets at her sides as the angle let Shawn go deeper with each thrust.

A loud banging on the door behind them made them pause briefly, Juliet biting down on her lip when Shawn chuckled. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Shhh Jules. We're not in..." The banging continued, louder and more urgent than before. Shawn pressed into Juliet fully and consequentially she ignored every sound other than the groans from Shawn in her ear. She gasped loudly at a particularly deep thrust and Shawn laughed when she blushed.

He caught her lips again, moving faster and pushing her towards the ultimate pleasure.

**_Outside..._**

Chloe stared in shock and mild disgust at the wood of the door while Gus tried not to look like he was listening. Although to be fair at the amount of noise coming from inside the room it was hard not to listen. Chloe sent another look towards the elevator, checking behind them for the millionth time that they hadn't been found yet. Another moan. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh for the love of God. I can't believe they're doing-" A loud female scream, followed by a long deep male groan made them grimace openly and try desperately to avoid eye contact with each other. "Okay, that was unnecessary and awkward. It's on the list of things I never want to hear. My friends com-"

"Please!" Gus cut her off, his nose wrinkling. Chloe sighed.

"What? It's up there with a bull being castrated and anything the Teletubbies have to say... I mean how could they? We could be dead or worse for all they know or care," she grumbled, but Gus just rolled his eyes at her.

"Or worse? I think zombies lack the intelligence to work an elevator."

"Ugh, smart ass," Chloe complained, backing away from the door in front of her like it was going to pull her inside. The elevator along the hallway suddenly dinged and their eyes snapped to one another, bodies frozen in fear, before looking at the figure emerging from the doors. Both let out sighs of relief as a young woman with a small child stepped out and wandered along to her room around the corner. Having restarted her for the third time in half an hour, Chloe whined in annoyance and frustration. "Fuck this. Come on, we'll tell them from the balcony. Let's face it, you really don't want to see Shawn naked do you?"

Gus made a face and Chloe laughed, albeit a little shakily. "You know that's right..."

"Well let's go then. We'll take the stairs. Maybe we won't be shot or killed with a shoe," she grabbed his arm and yanked him along. "If we're lucky. Although I suppose anything to take my mind of Shawn and Juliet's sexcapades... Hey Gus?"

"No, sexcapades is not a word."

"Damn." Racing up the stairs to their floor, both tripped several times. However, the urgency that they felt to get out of sight overpowered any pain they may have felt and they continued on to their room. As they paused at the door, Gus pressed his ear against it just to be sure. "Hear anything?" Chloe asked behind him and he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, someone just said 'Hear anything?'..." Chloe's face remained stoic, although she did jab him in the side. He finally shook his head and they opened the door slowly, their heads poking around the door to check. When they saw nothing out of place, Chloe tip-toed over to the bathroom. Putting her finger to her lips, she turned the doorknob.

Slamming the door open, she cried, "Ah-ha!"

Gus shook his head at her. As she stared at the empty bathroom, he came up behind her. "Just what was that 'Ah-ha!' supposed to achieve? They probably have guns. What, did you think they'd be so terrified by your very presence that they'd try to drown themselves in the toilet?" Chloe pursed her lips in annoyance.

"Okay, fine. At least I didn't scream like a girl and swing something around my head when I thought there was somebody there..." she snarked, leaving him standing there with no come back as she walked towards the balcony doors.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Do we have to get dressed? Come on Jules..." Shawn stretched on the bed, one arm behind his head and the other resting lightly on his stomach. Juliet smiled at him from across the room, pulling a tee-shirt over her head and picking up a brush to get the new tangles out of her hair. Which was going to be fun, she mused catching another glance of her sex-hair in the mirror.

"Well, as much as I appreciate the view," she gestured to him, sprawled naked over the bed. "I don't think the rest of the hotel's occupants will be too happy to see you strolling about butt naked, do you?"

"I don't know Jules. Many can enjoy the Spencer show if they want," he chuckled as she walked to the side of the bed and set her brush down on the bedside table. Leaning in over him, her hair tickled his chest as she bent to kiss him. Shawn let out a little moan under her lips before she pulled away.

"As long as I'm the only one who gets to touch, the rest can look and be as jealous as they like."

She gave a little shriek as Shawn pulled her down again, giggling as he mindlessly played with her hair. "I think I like the sound of jealous Jules. It sounds hot," he sighed contentedly, a thumb brushing over her cheek. She was about to bend to kiss him again when he shifted suddenly, craning his neck to catch a view of the balcony.

"What?"

Sitting up further, Shawn's eyebrows furrowed and Juliet turned to see what had caught his attention. Her eyes widened slightly. "Is that a cup phone?"

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry! The smut just kept flowing and I couldn't stop it! It threatened to beat me if I didn't write it. I suppose it's a kind of celebration of the Shules Spoiler that we've just had. If you haven't heard it go and check out the Shawn/Juliet thread at Psych Usa Fourms. Page 208 for those of you who don't want to trawl through pages. It made my day :)

Chapter Eight is being written as we speak.

I don't know why, but I enjoy writing Gus and Chloe panicking over something. It makes me laugh XD I got the 'Run Away' thing from Scrubs, which I love as well, so I hope all you Scrubs fans picked up on that.

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. It really does make me smile.

Review are love, just like hugs :)


	8. Chapter 8

As Shawn pulled on a pair of faded jeans that were laying over the nearby chair, Juliet quickly removed herself from the bed beside him and hurried towards the balcony, yanking the doors open with slightly more force than necessary. She stepped out into the soft sunshine and headed for the paper container. The cup, which was hanging from a length of green string, swayed to and fro in the gentle breeze of the day. She was very quick to grab it and pull it in, before sticking her head out over the balcony to twist around and look up. She squinted slightly, her eyes unused to the light after being inside for so long. Chloe and Gus were above as she had expected, looks of similar relief crossing both faces when they saw her.

"Oh thank God, someone with shooting experience!" Gus sighed happily while Chloe smiled brightly down at her, the sunlight framing her head like a strange halo. Although given the personality a halo would have been slightly out of place.

"Have you two finished yet? Or should we come back at a more convenient time? Tomorrow perhaps?"

Juliet's face immediately flushed a deep shade of red when she finally realized it must have been them knocking on the door so urgently before. The sensitive matter didn't become any less embarrassing when Shawn appeared beside her silently minus his shirt and with the top of his jeans unbuttoned; peering up to the people above and mirroring her position. He grinned.

"Awesome buddy!" He spoke to Gus."Where did you get the cups from?" he laughed, stealing the paper cup from Juliet's open hand and holding it to his ear like a kid would have. Both Chloe and Juliet simultaneously rolled their eyes at his behavior, knowing that if they weren't there that Gus would have been equally as excited as his friend. Juliet pulled it away from him, holding it at arms length in her left hand. The little pout that crossed his face when she took it away from him made her smile softly, before she realized that Gus had been strangely happy to see them when they'd come out.

It couldn't just be about the fact that he'd finally made a cup phone...

"Wait, what's wrong?" she finally asked, twisting her neck again to get a better view of their faces. She saw Gus' face drop slightly and Chloe took her time looking back to her face, their eyes darting about guiltily. "What's happened now?" Juliet's voice became stern and Gus winced at the tone of her voice. She heard Chloe sigh.

"Look, just come up to our room okay? Make sure you're not seen and we'll explain everything when you get here..." Chloe's answer was vague, and then she was gone, pulling Gus away from the bars and leaving Shawn and Juliet standing below, confusion written on their faces. They looked at each other in concern before Shawn ushered her inside and grabbed a tee-shirt from his suitcase on the floor.

Juliet quickly picked up their clothes from the night before while he dressed, folding them and placing them on the bed. She frowned as she scanned the room, finally dropping to her knees to look under the bed. As he pulled on his shoes, Shawn turned his head and smirked. "What are you looking for?"

"My underwear from last night..." her voice was muted slightly as she searched under the bed, sighing when she didn't find anything.

"Oh yeah... These the ones?" she looked up to see her underwear dangling from his finger, a smirk on his face and a glint in his eye. She stood, her hands on her hips.

"Can I have them back?" she raised an eyebrow, holding out her hand expectantly. Shawn however, just gave a grin and stuffed them into his back pocket. Juliet couldn't help but laugh at his antics.

Rolling her eyes at his refusal to give her back her panties, she headed over to the night stand and opened the second drawer where she had stored her gun. She pulled it out from under a stack of papers and tucked it into the back of her jeans, but not before making sure the safety was on first. When Shawn was finally ready, they slipped out of the room; locking the door and heading towards the elevator. All the way they wondered what on earth could have happened while they were otherwise engaged that morning.

As they reached the hallway where Gus and Chloe's room was located, they made sure to keep a look out for any of the staff that might have been hanging around. When they finally reached the right door, Juliet tentatively raised her hand to knock on the wood. However, before her hand could come anywhere near it, the door swung open and Gus appeared. He said nothing, just lunging forward and grabbing a handful of their clothes before yanking them ungracefully inside. He made sure to stick his head out of the doorway and look both ways before closing it again.

Better safe than sorry. He dead bolted the door once it was shut, a nice little perk that was available if people didn't want room service or maids walking in on them at an awkward time. Juliet thought back to how glad she was that the dead bolt was on their door last night... She shook her head free of the thoughts and came back to the matter at hand.

They stood in the middle of what can only be described as organized chaos as both Chloe and Gus ransacked the wardrobes and pulled piles of clothes over to the open suitcases on the bed.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Shawn finally spoke after minutes of silence as Chloe emerged from the bathroom with several miniature shampoo bottles and a fluffy white towel with the hotel's logo sewed on it.

"What? Aside from stealing awesome crap from the hotel and never having to pay for it in the first place?" she gave them a grin, before turning sarcastically thoughtful. "Well thanks to Captain Wow over there, I'm packing all my shit and hopefully leaving with my body parts in tact. _We_", she motioned to Gus and herself. "Had to play a cunning game of hide and seek in the lobby with a lunatic. Only this time, if you get caught you die instead of just going back to the house for milk and cookies." She paused in her tirade to glare again at Gus who was still throwing things into his case.

He finally spoke up in his own defense as Shawn and Juliet exchanged confused looks.

"You completely exaggerated that story. We were not about to be chopped to pieces or anything of the sort_... I think..._" he suddenly laughed nervously, finally slamming the lid of his suitcase; which would not close much to his annoyance. As they continued to bicker about how close to mutilation they had been, Juliet was becoming exasperated with their behavior and she eventually cleared her throat loudly, causing them to stop mid-sentence. "Oh right... Sorry. I guess we should probably explain before we hurl ourselves from the window..."

"It might clue us in on the madness," Shawn cut in, his eyebrow raised in an unusual facade of maturity. Juliet, her foot tapping on the floor; crossed her arms in impatience as Chloe motioned to Gus.

"Ask him."

All eyes in the room turned to him and he froze, like a deer in headlights behind the bed; sock in hand. "Uh... It's all very innocent... And first may I say, Juliet? You're looking fabulous today-"

"Cut the crap Gus and _explain..._" she said sternly, making him wince.

"Okay, so I may have, through no fault of my own. I really want to stress that part... May have let the dangerous criminals know that there were police undercover in the general vicinity..." his voice trailed off into nothingness as Juliet's mouth went slack in amazement and shock. Thankfully she seemed frozen for a brief second, just enough time for Gus to position himself behind Chloe and away from any pointy objects. Shawn was slightly more verbal.

"Wow buddy, I did not see that coming. You finally screwed up instead of me," he muttered softly, earning him a dirty look from his best friend.

"Not helping Shawn."

Chloe raised an eyebrow as Gus clutched the back of her shirt. "Let me tell you Gus, if Juliet attacks you, I'm not standing in the way. In fact... I may just join in," her voice was completely serious and Gus looked over her shoulder at the blond Detective.

"Yes but right now you're the lesser of two things that could kick my ass."

Juliet was shaking her head now, as if still not believing what she had heard. "Let me... Let me just repeat that for clarity..." she began to advance menacingly on Gus, who backed away slowly pulling his human shield with him. "The Department has spent thousands to get us into this hotel and pay our temporary replacements for an entire week. We work for days to keep our cover to try and bring down one of the most dangerous criminals in California... and you've blown our cover?" By now Gus was holding onto Chloe for dear life as Juliet paused her advance.

"I don't think I've ever told you how good you are at nut-shelling," he answered softly with a nervous smile. But Juliet's deadly look made him look down again.

Heaving a sigh, Juliet finally backed away from the terrified man; her hands going to her head and a look defeat crossing her face. Chloe elaborated further as to why they were currently in the situation. "Gus called Lassiter last night to find out if the pictures would hold up in court." Gus smiled at her defense of him. Then she continued. "Or some dumb ass reason like that." His face fell again.

Juliet was sitting on the edge of the bed by now, deep in thought and her eyes focused on a spot on the carpet. The bed shifted beside her and she looked around to see Shawn sitting next to her, and she smiled at him softly. But Shawn could see that it was strained. His hand slid over to lay on top of hers.

He turned to the other occupants and spoke. "So what now? Do we call Lassie Face and high tail it? Or should we stick it out and hope we don't... you know? Die." The faces looking back at him portrayed exactly what they wanted to do. Juliet shifted next to him and he turned his head to look at her. Her face was in her hands.

"The Chief is going to kill me..." her voice was muffled and she didn't look up. Shawn frowned and came to a decision.

"No she's not." All eyes turned to him in confusion. "This isn't over guys. All we need is one more day. Just one day and we'll have the evidence we need to get him." Chloe and Gus looked at each other, fear mixing with the urge to not let Juliet down. The woman in question was staring at Shawn now, a look of appreciation and thankfulness on her face. He smiled at her, reaching out to brush a lock of hair over her ear. From the side, he heard a defeated sigh.

"Okay. Okay Shawn. We'll stay..." Chloe sighed heavily.

"Yeah. I guess we've been through worse," Gus finally spoke up, knowing he was probably out of any immediate danger from Juliet. Shawn's hand was now on her shoulder, squeezing reassuringly as she smiled at them.

"Thanks guys, really... I guess we should move your stuff to our room. You'll be safer there than here on your own," Juliet stood and Shawn moved with her, heading for the packed cases. Gus did too, helping him to lift them and carry them towards the door. Chloe and Juliet slipped outside first, checking the hallway for signs that anyone was watching them. When they thankfully found nothing, they quickly ushered the men out and locked the door behind them.

"Stairs or elevator?" Shawn asked as they stood in the middle of the corridor, nervously shifting from one foot to the other. Gus decided for them and headed towards the elevator swiftly, pressing the button to go down and making them follow him by waving his hand. A bang from around the corner made them freeze in their place, Juliet's hand going to her gun instinctively. Gus proceeded to press the button several times in quick succession, praying that it would somehow make the elevator arrive faster.

"Come on..." he murmured lowly, finally losing patience and just holding it in. It gave a little ding as the doors finally rattled open and they flung themselves inside. The doors closed behind them and the collective sigh of relief was huge. "I keep thinking we're going to be found..." Gus groaned, sitting on the case he'd been carrying.

"Well we'll just have to be careful then, won't we?" Juliet muttered, watching the little red number until it changed to indicate that they'd arrived at the right floor. They pulled the bags through the open doors and practically tip-toed along to Shawn and Juliet's room. Once there, a quick fumbling with the key and few swear words later found them falling through the door in open relief of being safe again.

Chloe and Gus pulled their cases over to the corner, figuring that if they were out of the way they could make a quick exit if needs be. Shawn groaned loudly, sitting on the edge of the bed and falling backwards, a soft thump the result of his back hitting the bed. Juliet was in the process of checking the bathroom and bolting the door, before she joined him on the bed and pulled out her cellphone. "I guess it's time to call Carlton..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Six and a half hours later, Shawn was sure he'd exhausted almost every channel that the TV had to offer. Six hundred channels, not a single watchable program on one of them. He tossed the remote onto the bed next to him, heaving another sigh of boredom. He really didn't like being cooped up like this. Juliet was pacing impatiently and had been for the last fifteen minutes after poker with Gus had become a war instead of a way to pass the time.

Chloe hadn't fared much better being stuck in the room, her stomach growling every few minutes and the half eaten breakfast she'd managed to eat that morning was long gone. Lassiter sadly hadn't been much help. Apparently all they could do now was stick it out and wait until the drop off tomorrow. If Kilmeen didn't see them around the hotel, he may think that they had already gone and make it easier for them to get what they needed.

Gus moaned as his stomach roared, making Shawn chuckle from the bed; even though he was in a similar predicament. "We need food. As in right now..." Gus finally spoke after another particularly loud rumble. Chloe was quick to agree.

"Oh thank God somebody said it. How about I go and get us some Chinese food?"

Shawn practically moaned at the thought of it, all of his favourite food rushing into his brain; the result of going for so long without something to eat. He really couldn't remember a time when he had spent this long without nourishment. Usually he couldn't function if he hadn't eaten for more than three hours... Juliet sighed. "Look, I know you guys are hungry but it's too dangerous to leave right now. I can't send anyone out there on their own."

The collective groans made her laugh. "Well, what if I volunteer? I'll be quick and stealthy. Like Gus in jackal mode..." Chloe raised her hand in the hopes that it would change the Detectives mind. Juliet's own stomach took that exact moment to rebel against her and grumbled loudly; making her hand go to it and a tint of red cover her cheeks.

"I really don't want to risk it..." she trailed off at their desperate looks. Finally, she gave in and sat down heavily on the bed. "Fine. Get me some fried rice while you're out..." Chloe clapped her hands together with glee, going to find her purse.

"Okay, orders people. Write them on this," Chloe tossed a small notepad to Shawn who immediately began to scribble his order frantically. "If I'm not back in forty five minutes... do nothing. There's probably a line," she shrugged on her coat and pocketed a fair amount of money before grabbing the notebook away from Gus and ripping off the front page.

"Do you have your cell?" Shawn asked as she made her way to the door. Chloe paused, checking her back pocket for the phone.

"Yeah, it's attached to my ass. If you're butt dialed, you'll know it was me. I shall return with food and perhaps fortune cookies," was her final sentence as she slipped out of the room. Gus and Shawn exchanged glances of concern and Juliet shifted nervously.

"I don't like sending her out there on her own..." she frowned, leaning against Shawn's side for support. A hungry person was after all a tired person. Any excuse for contact really.

Shawn laughed, albeit in a strained way. "She'll be fine. Football team remember? She can handle herself well enough. Much better than Gus can anyway." The look Gus shot him was enough to kill. Juliet smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood, even if it hadn't worked as well as he'd hoped. Maybe someone would have gone with her...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"It was a kiss, oh what a kiss...da da dah da..." Chloe sang to herself softly with her best Elvis impression as she navigated the hallways of the hotel, bag of Chinese food safely in hand and the change tucked into her back pocket. The bag swung back and forth with the heavy contents as she strolled along, trying to look as though she wasn't avoiding the hotel staff and keeping an eye open for dangerous criminals at the same time. She slipped through the door for the stairway, frowning when she couldn't hear anyone.

Usually the stairway had a few people running up and down it. Never deserted as it was now. She paused at the bottom, wondering if she should maybe take the elevator instead. Looking around, she sighed in annoyance. She was here now, there was no point back tracking.

"It was a night, oh what a night..." she continued her song as she climbed the stairs, her mind suddenly flashing up reasons that it was not a good idea to be her alone. She quickened her pace accordingly.

Pausing to turn onto the next staircase, a small creak made her shiver with fear. What on earth had she been thinking coming here alone? As she reached for her cell phone, another creak from behind her made her move from the spot she'd been stuck on as she ran for the stairs; reaching for her back pocket at the same time.

It was a shame she never really reached it in time.

Pain suddenly rocketed through the back of her head and for the brief moment she remained conscious; she was sure her brain rattled in her skull at the force of her blow. She fell forward onto the stairs she'd been climbing, the bag of food tumbling out of her grasp and onto the floor. Her vision fazed in and out in a blurred way, the voices around her mere gibberish.

The only coherent thought running through her mind was; "Oh crap, I forgot the fortune cookies..."

* * *

A/N: Ugh, I really don't like this chapter. But, OMG! Last nights episode! Gaaaaaah! I had to add the song from the end in, I just had to. Oh, look at me I'm gushing again. This is all I've done all morning. Wheeeee... Okay, sorry. Composure resumed, slightly.

Anyway, mini-cliffhanger with a bump on the noggin, but nothing too serious. I can see the story being wrapped up in maybe two or three chapters depending on whether you guys want an epilogue or not :) It's taken me a little longer to get this chapter out because I kept deleting it and restarting. I still don't like it but I thought I should give you guys something in honor of the awesome episode last night.

Reviews make me smile and sing Elvis songs XD


	9. Chapter 9

A low heavy groan split the humid air of the dingy little room, the figure lying limply on the floor stirring for the first time in an hour. As Chloe slowly awoke from her injury induced slumber, she really wished that she hadn't. In fact, at the current state of her head and her whereabouts, she wondered briefly through the haze if she should just go back to sleep. Sleep would make it all better... It was quiet and peaceful in this room. She grimaced before realizing that she was indeed in an unknown room. So, sleeping was definitely out of the question. She'd heard those horror stories of falling asleep in strange places. Her old friend Jennifer had done that once.

Bam! Woke up with no eyebrows and a tattoo of a cartoon penis on her ass.

Cracking one sore eye open, she winced violently as the back of her head blazed with heat, as if someone was stabbing it with a fire poker. A damn hot one at that. Dragging an arm away from her side hazily, she reached gingerly up to press two fingertips to the most painful part of the back of her head. "Ow!" she murmured softly, her throat dry and unused to talking. When her hand pulled away from her hair, it was smeared with a sticky red substance. It took her a moment to realize it was blood. "Who the fuck has been bleeding on me?" she wondered a loud, her mind still blurry. She quickly caught on as a barrage of blurred memories came back to her. She grimaced miserably, letting her arm fall back onto the floor with a thud. She really wanted to go back to sleep...

"Ugh," she moaned roughly, blinking her eyes hard to try and keep the blackness from engulfing her again. Her whole body felt like a lead weight, heavy and sluggish. The blackness was surrounding the edges of her vision and as it spread in further, her eyelids drooped shut and her body relaxed onto the cold ground.

The loud sputter of the ancient fan on the wall roaring to life made her jump, the noise causing her eyes to flutter back open as she realized she was falling back into unconsciousness. In a low inner mantra to herself she chanted something to distract her from sleeping again. Anything... Recite the menu from the Chinese-

The Chinese? On the stairs, she'd been hurrying to get back to their safe room with Shawn and Juliet. What had she been doing while walking? Her brow furrowed as she moved her head, her cheek rubbing against the cool dusty floor almost comfortingly as she tried to think about what had happened to her. She noticed suddenly that aside from the throb of pain in her skull, there was something else wrong. She was warm. Very warm. In fact it felt like an inferno and it was heating up her skin, making her feel nauseous. Turning her head to the left she let out a yelp of pain when the movement jarred her injury and fire burned behind her eyes. She relaxed back onto the floor, her effort to get up through the haze of pain proving fruitless.

To occupy her racing mind, she tried to remember what had been so important. She'd been doing something on the stairs before someone had gone all ninja on the back of her damn head. 'Oh come on brain', she grumbled in her head. 'Work dammit. 'It's not like you have much else in you thats taking up space. Just a few dirty jokes about a teabag and a spider, and a few cellphone numbers.' Oh! It finally clicked in her mind what she'd been doing.

She'd been reaching for her phone to call Shawn and ask for help. She let out a soft snort. Fat lot of good that had done, and not to mention she'd lost the Chinese on the stairs... She was really looking forward to some sticky ribs. The thought of food made her stomach roll and she grimaced openly. "Don't think about food. That would be a great start." With a heave of pained effort, she tried to roll herself over; managing after a few tries and lying there, staring up at the greasy ceiling. Her head was spinning from the brief movement, but she bit back the feeling of wanting to vomit and pushed herself into a wobbly sitting position.

Her hand slipped down to her jeans pocket as she felt around for the usual plastic lump that her phone made. When she didn't find it, she switched hands, patting the other pocket in the hopes that it would magically appear out of no-where. When it didn't, she groaned in frustration. Why did it have to come down to using the bra phone? The biggest piece of junk she'd ever bought in her life...

Unbeknown to most people, except maybe her mother, Chloe was in the habit of keeping her old, barely workable mobile phones. She still had one from back in the eighties, with the brick shape and everything. She kept them stored in a box under her bed, and whenever she got a new phone, her last model was downgraded to the 'bra phone'. Which did exactly as it said on the proverbial tin. It wasn't the most comfortable place to keep a phone, but it came in handy whenever she broke down and her newer cell was out of credit or battery.

With sluggish and weak movements she fumbled around for what seemed like forever, until a small Samsung phone tumbled out of her grasp and into her lap, where it lay mockingly as if to say, 'Make me a bra phone will you? Well suck my battery lady!' Chloe shook her head. That knock had clearly wiped out some of her sanity along with her ability to see straight... She reached down and picked it up, holding it up in front of her face to study the screen.

Sure enough, she noted the battery's waning life and the signal bars that were indecisive about being a one or a two. Her arm wobbled with the effort of holding itself up and she was very briefly taken back to her detox days, what seemed like years ago. This feeling of being sluggish and helpless was something she'd already been through, and it wasn't the first thing she'd wanted to experience again. It was up there with having a nipple pierced and seeing old people sex.

A grimace swept over her features as she scrolled slowly through the numbers down to Shawn, focusing in on the fuzzy names and digits to make sure she got the right one. Now probably wouldn't be the best time to call her mom or anything. She could imagine that conversation. 'Hey mom, don't worry about me. I'm just partially conscious in a dingy room somewhere, having been captured by a drug lord.' That would go down a treat. Clicking the call button when she finally reached the familiar name, she heaved her arm up to bring the phone to her ear, almost sagging in relief when it started to ring. A little click sounded and Shawn's concerned voice filled her ear.

"Hello?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but oddly enough, no sound came out. Shawn sounded panicked now. "Hello? Someone there? If you have the wrong number don't be shy. I'm very open to meeting new people."

"That's not always a good thing Shawn..." Chloe finally forced some words out, her voice slurred and muddled. Even her brain didn't know what she'd just said. She knew she had something to tell him. Something important, but the darkness was tugging at the edges of her vision again, and this time, blinking hard didn't make it go away. Shawn's concerned voice faded in and out as she struggled with her voice.

"Chloe- are you? Did you- Chinese-? You don't sound- good..." That wasn't good at all she mused dazedly. She should probably tell him what had happened...

"I think... I uh, got hit on- th'head," she mumbled, little lights now dancing in front of her eyes as she tried to focus on Shawn telling her something. Or was he asking her something? She listened much more closely as he said it again.

"Where are you!"

"I dunno. But it's not... what's the word? Oh yeah... good. It's really, really hot in here though. And there's a whirly thing on the wall. Whirly...whirly..." she trailed off, her eyes now watching the fan as it span behind the little metal grate. Shawn's voice brought her out of her little daydream.

"A fan? There's a fan on the wall..." she heard him turn from the phone to tell someone else, most likely Juliet. "I think I wanna sleep Shawnie..." she called him by the nickname she'd used for him in high school, fond memories racing back or their more carefree days. The blackness was tugging harder now, trying to get her to fall into it and to be honest, she wasn't putting up much of a fight anymore.

"Coming to get- okay?" Shawn sounded stressed, which was unusual for his usually laid back attitude. Chloe hummed her approval into the speaker before her arm finally gave out a slipped down her side, taking the phone with it. As she slipped back into peaceful unconsciousness, the screen of the phone finally went black.

Above her head, the fan sputtered to a halt.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Chloe? Are you still there?" Shawn spoke loudly into the receiver, pulling the phone away from his ear when he got no answer. He looked at the screen only to see that the call had been disconnected. "Damn it! She's gone..." he dropped the phone back into his pocket, his hand going to his hair in frustration at their current situation. How had things dissolved into chaos so quickly? Only that morning he'd been in bed with a beautiful woman, his friends had been safe and the criminals had been oblivious to the fact that they were there at all. What the hell had happened to this investigation?

"I'm going out to the balcony to call Carlton," Juliet was pulling out her own phone, already halfway through dialling her partners number as she got to the sliding doors. "What else did she say that made sense Shawn?" she turned to him for an answer as Shawn went over their conversation again.

"She said she was somewhere really hot and there was a fan on the wall. I could hear it in the background..." Juliet nodded and continued on her journey out into the crisp night air. Gus was pacing back and forwards, the soft carpet muffling his frantic steps. He finally gave up and collapsed into the only chair in the room, his eyes worried and his finger's drumming on the arm. Shawn huffed out a breath, his brow furrowing as he thought about his conversation with Chloe.

"Where's hot?" he suddenly asked, raising his head to look at Gus.

"Australia?"

"Really Gus? I don't think the country is staying in the hotel at this exact moment in time. I mean, imagine the room size..." he trailed off as Gus cleared his throat to swerve him away from his '_Many reasons Australia could be a person_' speech. There were a lot. "Okay, but really. Where in the hotel is hot? With a fan on the wall? Ugh, you'd think she'd be more forthcoming with the info on the place she's trapped in," Shawn grumbled, wracking his brains with a mental map of the hotel.

"Forthcoming? Dude, the forties called. They want their lingo back," Gus pushed himself up from his chair after the little jibe, resuming his previous pacing across the floor. Juliet's voice floated in through the open doors and Shawn could practically hear that weird vein in Lassiter's temple begin to throb. The fact that he was _attracted, _Shawn shuddered, to Chloe probably wouldn't work in their favour when they explained that they'd let her go out on her own for food.

Juliet was waving her free hand in the air, not realizing that Lassiter couldn't see it at all. She finally snapped the phone shut and muttered an unenthusiastic 'asshole', before slipping back into the room. "He's on his way. We're supposed to stay here until he arrives on his very high white horse," she grumbled sarcastically, before turning to Shawn who was still exploring his mental map of the hotel. "Any psychic visions yet?" He shook his head, his eyes burning a hole into the carpet as he thought. As he went lower into the hotel, down to the kitchens, a memory struggled it's way to the surface of his brain, waving it's proverbial hand and yelling, 'Pick me! Pick me!'

Shawn explored further and delved into the thought that was so insistant. He remembered himself and Gus standing in the kitchens, looking for an alternative way out that wasn't the front door or the back alley. Gus's voice echoed in his head as their conversation came back to him...

_"Shawn, it has to be one hundred degrees in here. Would you please find a way out before I'm forced to reenact the Wizard of Oz?" Gus whined, leaning against a nearby cabinet and crossing his arms in annoyance as Shawn scanned the room._

_"Gus, if the gangsters out there come back in it'll be more like Scarface. Which makes me Al Pacino and you..." he paused momentarily, cocking his head to the side. "Miriam Colon."_

_Gus looked indignant at the thought. "I refuse to be the woman who played Mama Montana, Shawn. I'll be Steven Bauer. Now find a way out of here before I shoot you in the foot," he threatened, obviously trying to be menacing. He'd failed._

_"Dude, you don't have a gun."_

_"I will improvise Shawn."_

_"Ugh fine. Look, there's a window," Shawn nodded his head towards the back wall and sure enough, when Gus turned around he was greeted by the sight of a tiny window, not even big enough for a child, let alone two grown men who acted like children. At his incredulous look, Shawn sighed loudly. "Well, do you have a better idea Gus? I didn't think so. Now, you go first..."_

Shawn's eyes opened slowly and he raised his head from his hands, only to find both Gus and Juliet looking at him expectantly. "Shawn?" Juliet waved a hand in front of his face to snap him out of his reverie. Shawn shook himself out of it after a few seconds and sighed heavily, pushing himself up off of the bed.

"I think I know where she is. Or, at least the general area... Lassie Face told us to stay put didn't he?" he raised an eyebrow at Juliet and she nodded, annoyance clear on her face. Shawn chuckled lowly. "Since when have we ever listened to Lassie? The answer is never. I'm not about to start now. Shall we mount up and ride out to the rescue?" he grinned as if it was the most obvious thing to do. Juliet and Gus exchanged glances briefly, before both turned back to him and nodded. With a little smirk, aimed at Juliet, Shawn stretched his body out. "I love being all heroic."

As Gus slipped inconspicuously into the bathroom, Juliet made sure her gun was within easy reach before she pulled on her jacket and turned to Shawn. As his eyes flicked up and down her body, she raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Down boy. We're on a rescue mission remember?" she teased, walking past him and trailing her hand over his chest. Shawn growled low and deep, his wishes that Chloe hadn't gotten herself captured now in place for entirely different reasons. For one, he could now be getting lucky with the very sexy cop who was now poised at the door, waiting for Gus to hurry up so they could move out.

When they got out of here, he was locking them both in his bedroom and doing things to her that would make Hugh Hefner blush. They just had to get through tonight first.

With a sly grin, Shawn moved beside her and dipped his head to press a heated kiss against the side of her neck. "When all this is over, I'm going to keep my promise about tasting you, you know that right?" he murmured into her ear, just as Gus emerged from the bathroom and signalled that he was ready to go. Juliet's lips quirked and she sent him a look, but she didn't say anything as she unlocked the door and they filed out into the hallway.

"I feel like we should have shotguns and torn clothes. You know, Rambo style..." Gus muttered as Shawn led them towards the elevator. "So where are we going anyway?"

With a cocky grin, Shawn pressed the button for the lobby and watched as the doors closed in front of them. "The hottest place in the hotel, aside from the bedroom," he raised an eyebrow at Juliet, who rolled her eyes in mild disbelief. Gus groaned, before prodding Shawn's arm and making him continue. "The kitchen of course. Where else dude?" Looks of realization dawned on his friends and Shawn rolled his eyes.

"Here comes the cavalry."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back in her disgustingly greasy jail, Chloe awoke, feeling somewhat better than she had fifteen minutes beforehand. Her head wasn't as hazy this time around and her vision was slightly better too. At least the world was staying in one place this time, as apposed to twirling around her head. Oh yeah, her head... She reached up with general ease this time, prodding gingerly at the sore spot that was still sticky with drying blood. She grimaced slightly at the inevitable pain, although it wasn't as bad as it had been.

She glanced around the room in mild distaste, her nose wrinkling and her eyebrow raising. "Ew. Classy. They could have at least popped for some carpet..."

Footsteps above her head echoed around the room and she raised her eyes towards the ceiling, finally noting a trapdoor in the corner that she hadn't seen before during her fuzzy observation of the room. As she pushed herself shakily from the ground and stood, she held onto the grimy wall for support, glancing around at the boxes that filled all four corners of the room. Curiosity getting the better of her, she stepped over her dead phone and plucked the top of one of the boxes, surprised when it opened easily for her.

With a curious mind, she peered over the edge and her eyes went wide. Before her, was all the evidence they needed to blow the proverbial doors off of this case.

And then some.

She tried another one, and sure enough, the contents were exactly the same as the last one. In fact, by the time she'd finished, she was sure that every box was filled to the brim with it. She'd been inadvertently jailed in the very room that could prove to be the criminals undoing.

For before her, were boxes upon boxes of cocaine. Pure, white, unblemished cocaine.

Right in.. front of her... All this cocaine, just lying there doing nothing. And here she was, trapped in a room with it. A room full of temptation. Boxes of white gold that, a few years previously, would have already been opened and inside her head. She backed away from the boxes, digging her hands into her pockets. "Crap."

Five years ago, she would have stumbled upon a druggies heaven.

Now?

She was in her own personal hell of temptation. Someone was going to get a boot up their ass for this. And not a metaphorical one either...

* * *

**A/N: **I'm so unbelievably sorry about the delay :( I just had no-where to take this story and every time I typed it, it would turn out craptastic and I would have to do it again. I finally got myself in the mood to type last night and here is the very shaky result. I still don't like it much, but it's better than a lot of the versions I've typed out.

Well, Shules is really coming along in the show isn't it? It's a treat to watch every week ^^ It's also snowing here in Northern Ireland, making it slippy as hell and I refuse to leave the house, so hopefully I'll start to update more. I'm not making any promises though. My other fic, Red Really Doesn't Suit a Psychic has another three or four chapters to be added before that's over, so yeah :)

Hope everyone is doing okay anyway.

Reviews are like white gold. The good kind that doesn't tempt people :)


End file.
